Uganda defender, Jordan Obita, has expressed confidence that the Cranes can uphold their strong record against Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
The two sides are set to meet for only the second time at the Africa Cup of Nations, their first AFCON encounter having taken place 47 years ago in the 1978 semi-finals in Ghana, where Uganda secured a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
Since that historic meeting, the teams have met in AFCON qualifiers and international friendlies, with Uganda holding the edge in their head-to-head record: four wins, one draw, and two defeats.
Currently, Uganda faces a must-win situation against a Nigerian team that has already qualified for the round of 16, following wins over Tanzania and Tunisia.
The Cranes, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Tanzania and suffered a 3-1 defeat against Tunisia in their opening group match.
Speaking at Monday’s pre-match press conference, Obita remained upbeat about his team’s chances.
“We will go into the game with full confidence,” he said. “Regardless, we have no choice but to be confident and believe in ourselves because we know we need to win the game.
“Obviously, in the past Uganda has a good record against Nigeria and I do believe in the squad that we have.
“Right now we have one point from two games and we know that if we win this game we have a good chance of going through.”
