Former Super Eagles player, Joseph Yobo, has said that the team can win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, if they defeat Algeria in their semi-final clash on Sunday.
After missing the last two AFCON tournaments, Nigeria returned to the continental stage for the first time since their triumph in 2013.
Gernot Rohr’s men are now two matches from winning their fourth continental title.
“When you get into the semi-final you’re favourites, and that’s why it is interesting. The most important thing is for you to get into the semi-final because you’re one game away from the final.
“In a final, sometimes you might not play well and you will win, anything can happen. Nigeria is very close, at this moment I think we’re one of the favourites.
“People might want to downplay it but clearly, if we beat Algeria it is there for us to take. We need to do the hard job and beat Algeria which in my opinion, if not the most outstanding team then they’ve been one of the most outstanding teams in the tournament.
“They have done very well with good games but Nigeria have the momentum now, I think we’ve gone beyond our fears because we’ve beaten two major African giants that’s South Africa and Cameroon. And that will give us confidence.
“At the start of the tournament, it is always difficult but I’m also looking at a Nigeria team that started slow but looking at the last two games in the knockout stages, Nigeria have shown up.
“That means we always show up when it really matters, against Cameroon and South Africa we did well. Against the big teams when it matters, we see the Nigerian spirit, their character and they rise to the occasion, so why not against Algeria.
“Nigeria is one of the favourites at the moment, it is a battle of four and the four teams have been very good. It is actually difficult to pick the no. 1 favourite who will win the title but the final will decide,” Yobo told Goal.
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