By NDINAWE SIMPELWE –
SUPER Eagles coach Gernot Rohr expects Zambia to be tougher than previous opponents Cameroon in the Russia 2018 Group B World Cup qualifiers.
And Rohr added that the Super Eagles would not make the same mistake Algeria made by underrating the Chipolopolo.
Nigeria hosts Zambia on Saturday at the Godswil Akpabio Stadium in Uyo State looking to seal their fate to Russia with a win.
Nigeria’s last game in Uyo ended in a 4-0 demolition of Cameroon but Rohr said he expected a tougher challenge on Saturday because Zambia was a better side than the reigning African champions.
Rohr told local media after arriving in Uyo that Zambia has a different side compared to the one that lost in the reverse fixture in Ndola with younger and quicker players included in the team.
“They are a younger team and much quicker and better than when we last played them. And you know of course not all the players have arrived. They have analyzed us just as we have analyzed them, so they know us better, hence it is going to be a tough game,” Rohr said.
He said the target was to avoid defeat at all costs so that the Super Eagles remained on course to qualify even with a draw.
Nigeria tops the group with 10 points followed by Zambia on seven points while Cameroon and Algeria are third and fourth on three and one points respectively.
“We will try to prepare well, we will have two training sessions every day, then we will assess the video of our past match and also the video  of our opponent. The target always is to win but if we don’t win we draw. We must not lose the game. It is a different Zambian team from the Cameroonian team. It is an even more difficult game,” he said.
Rohr said he could not predict the score-line against Zambia because it would not be an easy match.
“Zambia can be dangerous because they also have a good team. I don’t think it would be a 4-0 win for us but the most important thing for us is to win even if it’s by one or two goal difference,” he said.
By press time, 17 Super Eagles players had reported for training in Uyo who included Chinese league based pair of captain John Obi Mikel and Idiom Ighalo as well as Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho among others.