Rustenburg will be the venue for
the Super Eagles' final Group C
match—a contest which will decide
the immediate future of the
nation's football. How will the
nation remember the 2013 Cup of Nations? Will this be the year of
what-ifs and might-have-beens?
The year when the side conceded
late equalisers against Burkina
Faso and Zambia, throwing away
four points in the process. Or, will it be the year when the
side overcame some perceived
injustices to qualify from a tricky
group and make an emphatic
return to the continent's high
table? The future is still in the hands of the Super Eagles, for
whom the permutations are
numerous. All Stephen Keshi will be telling his
boys is that a win against Ethiopia
will guarantee their place in the
quarter-finals. The Black Lions
may well be in disarray after
their demolition at the hands of Burkina Faso, and shorn of the
confidence that characterised
their opening battle with Zambia,
the Big Boss may well identify the
Walya Antelopes as ripe for the
taking. After impressing in the first two
fixtures, the duo of Emmanuel
Emenike and Ahmed Musa will likely
be the key attacking options for
Nigeria. Despite his nervous
penalty miss, John Obi Mikel's improvement throughout the
Zambia match will not have gone
unnoticed—indeed, it was his pass
which led to Emenike's opening
goal against Chipolopolo. Defensive resiliency has been the
issue for Naija in the first two
games, and Keshi might be
tempted to recall skipper Joseph
Yobo, who sat out of the second
fixture against Zambia.