Nigeria’s Under-23 team, the Dream Team, has been drawn in a very tough-looking group in the football event of the All-Africa Games scheduled to hold in Brazzaville, Congo, in September.

Nigeria is pitted with powerhouses of African football Ghana, Egypt and Senegal in Group B.

The event gives Nigeria’s Under-23 coach Samson Siasia an opportunity to win a first major tournament as a national team coach and add to the country’s medal hall in the All-Africa Games. It would also serve as a dress rehearsal for November’s Africa Under-23 football championship in Senegal, which serves as a qualifying tournament to the football event of the Olympic Games scheduled for Brazil next year.

The former Super Eagles attacker, who also has won an Olympic silver medal as coach of the Nigeria Under-23 team in Beijing 2008, is feeling no trepidation about the group.

“We have been zoned in a difficult group, but if you want to emerge champion of any tournament you can’t avoid the strong teams in the competition,” Siasia said.

“So we will continue to work very hard on this team to make it a winning team. We don’t have

to be afraid of any team if we desire to win this competition, but sincerely speaking it is a difficult group and could be termed to be group of death,” he added.

Hosts Congo were zoned in Group A against Sudan, Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso.

The football event of the All-Africa Games will last from September 3 to 8.

•Photo shows Coach Siasia.