“We are not worried by Nigeria’s big names”- Rwanda captain Bizimana talks tough ahead of crucial World Cup Qualifier

Rwanda captain Djihad Bizimana has stated that the team is not bothered about Nigeria’s star-studded squad ahead of their 2026 World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles lock horns with the Amavubi on Friday in their crucial World Cup Qualifiers tomorrow and it promised to be a spectacle due to what is at stake.

Nigeria have the better quality on paper and they will be looking to give a good account of themselves despite Rwanda’s home advantage.

However, the Amavubi have insisted that they are not bothered by Nigeria’s big names. According to the captain Djihad, they are focused on themselves and will try to play their own game.

“There’s no need to worry about Nigeria’s attack. We already met them two times. Most of them are still here,” Djihad said, per Ojora Babatunde.

“But we as players are focused on ourselves and what we are doing in training. We will go and try to give a 100 or 150 percent because we know they are a good team and they also want to win the game.”

“There’s no need to worry about Nigeria’s attack. We have great respect for them and their big names, but as players, we are fully focused on ourselves.”

Rwanda captain, Djihad Bizimana responding to a question about whether Rwanda is concerned about Nigeria’s attack.… pic.twitter.com/FDnfXB2ztO

— Ojora Babatunde (@ojbsports) March 20, 2025

It is not surprising that the Amavubi are confident going into the game. They beat Nigeria in Uyo in the last Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, so it is expected.

Nigeria has to make a statement against Rwanda

The Super Eagles have lost their fear factor despite the abundance of many top players, and this makes teams confident whenever they want to play them.

They need to beat the Amavubi well so that Zimbabwe also understand that coming to Nigeria to play will be no mean feat. It would also make a strong statement to the other teams in Group C moving forward.

Victor Osimhen is going to be playing his first game in the qualifiers series, so that could signal the start of good things for the team.