Ladan Bosso, Flying Eagles coach, says his team are for action at the 2022 WAFU Zone B Under-20 Cup of Nations in the Niger Republic.

Bosso told journalists on Monday in Abuja that the Nigerian national under-20 men football team were in good shape and ready to depart for Niamey on Thursday.

The Flying Eagles will face perennial rivals Ghana in their opening Group B game when the WAFU Zone B qualifiers get underway.

Bosso said his team opened camp in Abuja on April 19 with 56 players, and it gradually took shape.

“We started to reduce the initial team gradually, even though we started the camp barely a week from now. We have played three matches, and we won all the games,” said the coach. “We had our seventh training session Monday evening, and we have started to see the difference in the team’s performance than when we started.

“So, we are good to go.”

The team’s first friendly match ended in a 2-2 draw, and it was for those players who came for screening.

However, on Saturday, they played two friendlies, winning 4-2 against Cosmos FC of Abuja and 4-0 against Basira FC from Nasarawa state.

“In these three matches, we scored 10 goals and conceded four. This shows that things are not too bad. On Tuesday, we will take on City FC of Abuja in another friendly to continue to work on the team in order to produce a better result,” Bosso added.

The coach, however, said he and his team were not scared or afraid of Group rivals Ghana and Burkina Faso at the qualifiers.

“We will strive to give our best to win our first match and the subsequent ones in order to progress,” he said.

The 2022 WAFU Zone B Under-20 Cup of Nations will hold from May 7 to 20 as a qualifier for the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) approved the team to travel with 30 players.

Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ghana are in the tournament’s group B, while hosts Niger Republic have been drawn against Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and the Republic of Benin in Group A.

(NAN)