The current African U-20 Nations Cup is being held in Egypt, and this may be the biggest game the Flying Eagles have played thus far. The winner of the match against Uganda at the 22,000-seat Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia will receive a semifinal ticket in addition to the chance to compete at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will take place in Indonesia from May 20 to June 11.
Uganda enters the match as the nation with the better record at the most recent competition, but Nigeria will enter as the match’s record holder in terms of titles won throughout the history of the championship.
Nigeria finished second in Group A with victories over Egypt and Mozambique and a loss to Senegal to earn the match, while Uganda won Group B after drawing with South Sudan in their final group match.
Jackson Mayanja, Uganda’s coach, expressed excitement for a thrilling match against the Flying Eagles and said his team had been working hard to get ready. He thinks that the Hippos’ outstanding performance in the previous edition will motivate the current group to outperform it.
Nevertheless, he exercises caution because he is aware that each competition is unique.
“My goal in this competition is to qualify Uganda for the World Cup,” the coach said. “If I can do that, then we’ll see what happens after that.”
To wreck havoc on the Flying Eagles today, Mayanja is anticipated to rely on the trio of Travis Mutyaba, Isma Mugulusi, and Rogers Mugisha. Following his outstanding performance in Uganda’s first three games, Mugisha was selected for the CAF Team of the Group Stage. He is a tricky player with deceptive skills and a knack for making the decisive pass.
Mugisha is capable of providing the ammunition that could prove disastrous for the Flying Eagles if given the opportunity to exert control in the midfield.Following the group stage of the competition, the Technical Study Group of the event named the Flying Eagles as the fairplay award winner. The Flying Eagles displayed professionalism, dedication, passion, and discipline during the group stage.
The young Flying Eagles were seen congratulating their opponents and displaying a high sense of sportsmanship despite losing their opening match to Senegal Group A. The team of Ladan Bosso began their campaign at the Cairo International Stadium by losing to Senegal by a score of 1-0. Thanks to Solomon Agbalaka’s soaring header in the second game against the hosts Egypt, they came back to win.
But for the time being, Coach Ladan Bosso is not dwelling on such honors. He last attended the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007 in Canada, and his dream is to go back. Daniel Bamaiyi, the captain of Bosso, will not play because he received a second booking while the Flying Eagles were defeating Mozambique 2-0.
The team will undoubtedly be missing the center back against Uganda, so Bosso may think about bringing in Solomon Agbalaka to fill in. Bosso is optimistic that the Flying Eagles will defeat Uganda despite this setback.
Looking forward to a winning performance, “We are aware that Nigerians are looking to us to deliver,” Bosso said to thenff.com. Our goal is still to secure a World Cup ticket, but we are also keeping an eye on the trophy, which is still a few games away.
“At this time, Uganda is in our sights, and we are making every effort to ensure that we have the upper hand on Thursday.”
Yesterday, the Flying Eagles upped the intensity of their practice in preparation for the match. Bosso and his assistants oversaw the session at the Tolip El Forsan Resort practice field, with a focus on tactical and endurance drills.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Egyptian referee Ahmed Nagy Mosa as the game’s center referee. He will be supported by his countrymen Mohamed Abouzid Halhal and Yara Atef, as well as Libyan official Abdulrazg Ahmed, who will serve as assistant referees 1 and 2, respectively.
The match commissioner will be Zambia’s Justin Mumba, the referee assessor will be Rosalie N’dah of the Benin Republic, and the general coordinator will be Titus Kunamuene of Namibia.
