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‘People expect Nigeria to win AFCON, it puts me under pressure’

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Coach Austin Eguavoen has admitted that he is under pressure to win the rescheduled 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The former Super Eagles player is in charge of the Nigerian team at the tournament billed to kick off this Sunday in Cameroon.

Eguavoen’s lads will begin their campaign on 11 January when they face the Pharaohs of Egypt in group D opener, before taking on Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in their other group encounters.

Speaking to journalists during their training session in Cameroon, the technical director said “I am obviously under pressure.”

He added: “It is not just me, even with Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola or Gernot Rohr you can’t say you won’t be under pressure.

Read Also: Finidi tells Eguavoen what Super Eagles must do to defeat Egypt in AFCON opener

“It’s like Manchester City, one of the best teams in the World at the moment, playing the best brand of football at the moment but with Guardiola, one coach that I adore, he has been unable to win the UEFA Champions League with City.

“You cannot say he is not under pressure to win it.

“People expect Nigeria to win the AFCON and that puts me under some pressure but I will take it and digest it.

“We take each game as it comes. All the teams here have come to prove a point.”

Eguavoen took over the Super Eagles as an interim boss after the sack of former coach Gernot Rohr, and although there is a newly-appointed coach in the person of Jose Peseiro, Eguavoen is to handle the team at AFCON.

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