The Super Eagles of Nigeria are in Cape Town for war, Coach Stephen Keshi has declared ahead of this evening’s must-win 2015 Africa Nations Cup qualifying game between Nigeria and South Africa.

Supersport quotes the the Big Boss, as Keshi is nicknamed, as saying: “The South Africans are trying to build a team with young players, which is a good thing.

“We also have young players. We just have to get ready for South Africa.

“History will not win the game for us. We have to win the game for ourselves and concentrate, that’s all. It will be war.”

On his part, South Africa’s coach, Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba, said: “We are going well in our preparations for this game but we are expecting a very tough game.”

He then revealed that he has been drilling his charges to get under the skin of the Nigerian players. His words: “In our last (training) session, we were working on an exercise where we pick up the runners. The idea is to deprive people of space.

“If we deny the Nigerian players space, they will get annoyed and this is what we want. If my boys can do that, then we will have a chance.

“I know the Nigerians. They always want to be cruising, playing free flowing football but if we pick them up and deny them spaces, then we will have a chance.

“Nigeria play a very fast game but we will do what they don’t expect which is to get the ball into their half with speed and play our game.

“Take the game to them in one on one situations because they don't like that and take them on.

“It will be not be a tactical game. It will be a psychological thing. It will be war,” he said.

The fortunes of both sides, going into the fixture, could not have been more different.

Before the first round of matches in Group A last Saturday, one of the sides was expected to struggle while the other was expected to cruise through.

It went according to script but not quite as the bookmakers predicted. One of the sides did win at a canter but against popular expectations, it was South Africa that won comfortably (away to Sudan) while African champions Nigeria capitulated to a shock home defeat to Congo.

•Photo, courtesy Supersport, shows Coach Keshi and assistants during a tense moment.

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