SUPER Eagles head coach Eric Chelle and captain Wilfred Ndidi, as well as Tunisia boss Sami Trabelsi and defender Montassar Talbi, have all expressed confidence as the two sides get set to go to battle in Fez tonight.
In one of the headline clashes of the group stage of the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia will fight for the leadership of Group C tonight.
They both won their opening group fixtures, with the Super Eagles beating Tanzania 2-1 and Tunisia defeating Uganda 3-1.
“Tunisia are a big team with a strong playing identity and a solid World Cup qualifying campaign behind them,” Chelle said while previewing the encounter.
“They play good football and started this tournament very well. But we have a good team too, and we are improving with every match.
“In my mind, we may either let Tunisia have the ball and play directly when we recover it, or continue with our philosophy. There is no pressure on us — this tournament is an opportunity to correct what went wrong before and continue building our identity.”
Ndidi, who was named captain to replace the retired William Troost-Ekong, reflected on the Super Eagles’ mentality ahead of the clash, especially in view of their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“There is no pressure on us — none at all. We didn’t qualify for the World Cup, but we are ready for this tournament.
“This competition is another opportunity to put things right. The players are ready, the team is ready, the manager is ready, and everyone around the group is fully prepared.
“What we went through during the World Cup qualifiers was painful — exiting in that way hurt. But now we are focused. This tournament gives us a real opportunity to achieve something, and we are determined to make the most of it.”
He added: “We know we are here to represent everyone — all Nigerians, wherever they are in the world — and we are grateful for that support.
“We understand the passion on the other side. We know how football can influence the mood of the nation. When we win, people are happy. We are aware of that responsibility because we grew up in that environment.
“For now, we are focusing only on the positives, because that is the mindset we want to maintain.”
Trabelsi is also confident his Tunisia side have what it takes to overcome the Super Eagles.
“Yes, in the last game there was no real expression. When we play with only organised offense and defence, it decreases the performance of some players.
“Nigeria are strong offensively and defensively. All players will be involved, not only defenders. We focus only on the field; social media or past results will not affect us.
“There is no national team without weak points, and we have studied Nigeria’s. To go far, we must beat big teams.”
Tunisia defender Talbi stressed the importance of discipline and focus.
“When we play against big teams, we give our best. We have already played against strong opponents and we performed well.
“To win this game, we need to trust ourselves and give everything we have. Everyone in the group must stay united and continue working as if this is our first game. We must protect our discipline, our concentration, and always give our best.”
Nigeria and Tunisia have a long-standing rivalry, having faced each other 21 times in all competitions at senior level.
The Super Eagles have claimed five victories, Tunisia six, while 10 matches ended in draws.
In AFCON finals, Nigeria hold a slight edge with three wins to Tunisia’s one, and two matches were decided on penalties.
Their last meeting came in the 2021 round of 16, when Tunisia edged Nigeria 1-0 thanks to a Youssef Msakni strike.
The Super Eagles go into tonight’s clash unbeaten in their last seven AFCON group matches and have found the net in 13 of their last 14 tournament games.