Nigeria need points after a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania have already qualified as co-hosts.
Tanzania have arrived in Uyo for Friday's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2027) qualifier against Nigeria, and they say they are not afraid of the Super Eagles. The players and officials reached Victor Attah International Airport on Tuesday morning, completed immigration formalities and went on to their hotel. The match is at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday 13 November, with kick-off at 17:00 WAT.
Almasi Kasongo, a director of the Tanzania Football Federation, spoke to reporters after the squad arrived. Kasongo laid out the Tanzanian attitude to the tie:
"We are not scared. Football is a game of 90 minutes. We know the quality of Nigeria's players and their pedigree."
Kasongo added that the squad is well prepared and has players from the local scene and abroad who are equal to the task. "We are here to fight and get a result," he said, adding that Tanzania would go to the stadium to get a result.
Tanzania head coach Miguel Gamondi has named 24 players for the double-header, but two Young Africans players will not travel. Clement Mzize and Dickson Job stayed with the club for treatment, Clifford Ndimbo, the federation's director of media and communications, confirmed, as Blueprint reported. Both had only recently returned from spells on the sidelines, and their absence leaves Gamondi with 22 of the 24 he named.
Nigeria need the points. The Super Eagles opened with a 2-1 win over Madagascar, then lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in their second game. Eric Chelle oversaw Nigeria's first training session at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday with only 11 players, and Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon were among those who trained.
Tanzania have one point from two games, after a 2-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau and a 1-1 draw with Madagascar. Having already qualified as co-hosts with Kenya and Uganda, they can use the remaining qualifiers to prepare for the finals. Guinea-Bissau, who have also beaten Tanzania, are the main threat to Nigeria's hopes of claiming the group's one available qualification spot.
Head-to-head, the Super Eagles have claimed seven of 11 meetings and shared four, which means the Taifa Stars have never got the better of them. The last meeting, in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, ended 2-1 to Nigeria, with Ademola Lookman and Semi Ajayi scoring. SoccerNet's analysis argues that anything less than a convincing win in Uyo would hand Tanzania the result their federation is talking up.
The return leg is on Tuesday 17 November, in Tanzania.
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