Some of the fans said on Friday in Calabar that it was time the Eagles avenged the 2-2 draw that denied Nigeria participation in the 2017 edition of AFCON.
Oqua Etim, the immediate past Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Cross River chapter, said that he was optimistic Nigeria would carry the day.
“Ordinarily, one will not lose sleep over Nigeria/South Africa match. Bafana Bafana has never been a threat to us. I am confident that in spite of the absence of some key players, the Eagles will win convincingly.
“However, the boys should know that there are no more minnows in modern football and so; they should approach the match with all seriousness.
“They must avoid complacency and they must be committed to the game; but at the end, I see Nigeria winning if not for anything, it is time for revenge,’’ he said.
Another football enthusiast, David Adie, also urged the team to beat the South Africans to brighten their chances of featuring in 2019 AFCON.
“It is unimaginable that a big football nation like Nigeria has missed two successive AFCON Championships. I think it is time for us to redeem our image.
“The team has to do everything needful to win South Africa. What happened the last time the Eagles played Bafana Bafana in the same stadium must not happen repeat. We must take our maximum points, ‘’ Adie said.
Aniekan Akpan, a football analyst, however, lamented the absence of some key Players in the team, adding that this might affect their fortune.
According to him, Victor Moses is not there, Mikel is absent and I do not know if Onazi did join the team; the absence of these players might affect them.
“However, I pray that they should win to brighten our chances of going to the next AFCON.
NAN reports that the match comes up on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.