Olympic Qualifier: Ozebagbe Backs Nigeria to Silence DR Congo In Lubumbashi

Nigeria’s U-23 head coach, Bright Ozebagbe, has expressed confidence in his team ahead of Friday’s 2028 Olympic Games qualifying clash against DR Congo, insisting that the players will do their talking on the pitch.

Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference in Lubumbashi, Ozebagbe said his side were focused on securing a positive result in the first leg, stressing that home advantage alone would not determine the outcome of the tie.

The Ikorodu City coach noted that consistency across the two legs would be crucial, adding that the team that performs better over both encounters would advance to the next round.

Asked about his knowledge of the Congolese team, Ozebagbe said his priority had been to prepare his players for the challenge rather than become distracted by the opposition.

However, DR Congo U-23 head coach Guy Bukasa has vowed to secure a convincing home victory and put his team in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Nigeria.

Bukasa drew confidence from his side’s performance against Mauritania in the previous qualifying round, where they recovered from a 1-0 first-leg defeat away from home to win the return fixture 2-0 and progress.

While acknowledging Nigeria’s quality, the Congolese coach expressed confidence that his players could use home advantage and the backing of their supporters to secure an advantage in the tie.

The first-leg encounter will take place at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, 13 November, while Nigeria will host the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, 17 November.

Meanwhile, Ozebagbe has named a 23-man squad for the two-legged encounter.

The squad comprises three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and six forwards, with players drawn from clubs in Nigeria and Europe.

Nigeria’s 23-man squad

Goalkeepers: Samuel James (SJK FC, Finland); Clinton Andy (Rivers United); Michael Atata (Ikorodu City).

Defenders: Christian Akpan (Genk FC, Belgium); Victory Akpe (FC Basel, Switzerland); Vince Osuji (Tromsø IL, Norway); Emmanuel Godwin (Pardubice FC, Czechia); Odinaka Alfred (Nasarawa United); Emmanuel Ochobi (Rivers United); Aliu Sugau (Barau FC).

Midfielders: John Otomewo (Reims FC, France); Daniel Daga (Molde FC, Norway); Wilfred George (Kristiansund FC, Norway); Chibuzor Nwoko (Fulham FC, England); Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City); Sadiq Saleh (FC Metta, Latvia); Victor Samuel (Pardubice FC, Czechia).

Forwards: Peter Edokpolor (SL Benfica, Portugal); Sulaiman Sani (Al-Qadsiah FC, Saudi Arabia); Umar Abubakar (FC Famalicao, Portugal); Zadok Yohanna (Brighton FC, England); Abdullahi Umar (Hradec Kralove, Czechia); Abdulmuiz Adeleke (Sporting Supreme).