Pre-match reactions: Nigeria vs Rwanda

Salisu Yusuf (Head Coach, Nigeria)

We respect all the teams present in this tournament. You have to be very careful with all the teams. All teams have equal chances in this tournament. We do not have a specific goal. We will tackle the games as and when they come. We will play well to reach the next round, and see what happens after that. We will put in our all to do better than in previous editions. We are prepared for that.

Ezenwa Ikechukwu (Captain, Nigeria)

First of all, there are weather conditions that are completely different from Nigeria. Here (Tangiers) it is very cold, but we have been able to adapt during the first four days of our stay here. The Rwanda match will be difficult, but we are here to achieve a good result. We have already forgotten our disappointment in 2016. It is now in the past, even if it allowed us to learn. We are in a difficult group but will try to give a good impression.

Antoine Hey (Head Coach, Rwanda)

It's an exceptional organization for this tournament. There are interesting infrastructures that meet international standards. We will face a team from Nigeria that we know. They are a good side with highly rated players like the other teams in this group. There is no favourite in a competition of this nature. Look at the example of Sudan that managed to beat Guinea and yet, Guinea were favourites.

I have been at the helm of this Rwandan team since July 2017 and we played a lot of games, whether official or friendly. I read from the Nigerian press that the coach, goalkeeper and other players declaring that they were going to beat us. We will see on the day of the match.

Eric Ndayishimiye (Captain, Rwanda)

We came here (Morocco) to win the tournament and for sightseeing. There were gaps in our team that we saw at the CECAFA tournament in Kenya. But I think that over time, we have corrected ourselves. We are ready for this tournament and the first match against Nigeria. CHAN is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our qualities. It is therefore an important chance for us and for the players participating in this tournament.