Football: Super Eagles B set for CHAN opener against Senegal
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Eric Chelle says Nigeria are ready for Senegal showdown
The 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finally got underway this past weekend after an initial postponement, and we have already seen a few stunning matches on matchday 1, which will draw to a close on Tuesday evening.
The Super Eagles B side, which is made up entirely of home-based players, the majority of whom hail from Nigeria Premier Football League champions Remo Stars, defeated Ghana in a home and away jollof derby to qualify for the competition and will get their tournament started this evening.
Eric Chelle’s side arguably faces the toughest assignment of any team in the opening round of the competition, as they are set to take on the defending CHAN champions on Tuesday evening, and you can get all the key stats for this match using our Senegal vs Nigeria prediction.
The Nigerian men’s football teams are under major pressure to deliver on the continental and global stages, as their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign is all but over, and given the women’s team’s title charge at the WAFCON this past weekend.
Super Eagles B skipper Junior Nduka revealed ahead of the tournament that the success of the Super Falcons at the WAFCON has provided his side with a major boost of confidence, which has fueled them with determination for this opening round clash against the Lions of Teranga. He said:
“To our fellow Nigerians, I know expectations are high because we have been doing well in sports, and we’ll try our best not to let them down. Our women’s football team just won the WAFCON, and our basketball team also claimed the AfroBasket title. It’s a great record for the country, and we hope to build on that success.”
Chelle added that the team must take on the CHAN tournament “one game at a time” and emphasised that they have undergone solid preparation, which they intend to put into action when they step out at the Amaan Stadium this evening.
Senegal and Nigeria - Key stats at CHAN
Senegal are set to feature in their fourth African Nations Championship, and all matches will be available via our football livescores. They finished in fourth place in 2009, failed to get beyond the group stage of the competition in 2011 and won the tournament in the most recent edition in 2022.
The Lions of Teranga were excellent in the 2022 tournament, where they conceded just a single goal and kept five clean sheets en route to the title. In all three editions, they have maintained 10 shutouts in 14 matches, including each of their last four.
Meanwhile, Nigeria are back in the CHAN after missing the last two editions, and will be hoping for a better run this year. In 2014 and 2016, they earned third place and exited in the group stage, respectively, while in 2018, the Super Eagles were beaten by Morocco in the final.
Notably, Nigeria have only won one opening match at this competition, beating Niger 4-1 in 2016, which was also the fourth time the team scored four goals in the tournament. Over the years, the Super Eagles have managed five clean sheets, two in 2014 and three in 2018.
