Super Eagles defender, Igoh Ogbu, has insisted that the team will approach Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations 2025 semi-final showdown against host nation Morocco with confidence and freedom, describing the game as one to be enjoyed rather than feared.
Nigeria are chasing a fourth Africa Cup of Nations crown and will face Morocco at the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Both sides head into the last-four encounter unbeaten, with the Atlas Lions recording four wins and a draw, while the Super Eagles have maintained a perfect record of five consecutive victories.
This fixture marks the second semi-final meeting between the two African heavyweights at the AFCON.
Their first encounter at this stage came in 1980 on Nigerian soil, where the Super Eagles secured a narrow 1-0 victory.
With a place in Sunday’s final at stake, Ogbu, who has made several appearances during the ongoing tournament, played down any intimidation from the hosts’ star-studded squad.
“Morocco has good players, they are a fantastic team but at this point I don’t think we want to focus on them,” Ogbu told journalists before the team’s training session on Tuesday. “We want to focus on our own team, we will just go there and have fun.”
Nigeria, however, will be without captain Wilfred Ndidi for the crucial clash. The midfielder is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament during the quarter-final victory over Algeria.
Raphael Onyedika is expected to step into Ndidi’s role. The Club Brugge midfielder, who featured off the bench against Algeria, has already netted twice at the competition, scoring both goals in Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Uganda in their final group-stage match.
