Amuneke leads Nigeria defence in Bujumbura

Nigeria begins their defence of the U-20 AFCON crown away to Burundi as the race for a place at the final tournament of the 20th edition of the biennial championship gathers momentum.

Last year, the Flying Eagles conquered the continent in a blistering style without losing a match under coach Manu Garba who has since being replaced by Emmanuel Amuneke after the one-time African Footballer of the Year, led Nigeria’s U-17 team (Golden Eaglets) to a record fifth FIFA World Cup title in Chile last year.

Incidentally, Amuneke has promoted virtually all members of the Chile triumph and reckons that his youngsters would be ready for the ‘rough and tumble’ task  given the  stiff competition expected in Bujumbura.  

This would be the first match for both sides in the qualifiers, since the West Africans were exempted from the First Round, while Burundi reached the second round following the withdrawal of DR Congo.

“We are preparing, and have been working pretty hard for the match against Burundi,” stated Amuneke in an interview with CAFOnline.com ahead billed for the Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium in Bujumbura on Saturday.  

“They (players) know what is expected of them and collectively as a team, we are looking forward to the match with optimism. Individually and collectively, we are doing everything in order to be on the same page and when we get to Burundi (Bujumbura), we are going to give a very good account of ourselves as a team,” noted the former Barcelona winger.

The new-look Flying Eagles is built around the ‘Chile Class of 2015’ including the …

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