By Rasaq OboirienCOACH Festus Allen has tipped the Salisu Yusuf Home-Based Eagles to lift the African Nations Championship (CHAN) title in Rwanda.
The ex-Sharks of Port Harcourt boss in a chat with NaijaSportsXtra on Tuesday from his Ilorin base said: "I see Coach Salisu Yusuf led team winning the trophy in Rwanda. He is a round peg in round hole, as the crop of players he has invited to camp has clearly shown that he understands the Nigeria Premier League."
On the outcry that no Akwa United player made the list, Allen stated further, "I want to state clearly that the set of players invited to the CHAN Eagles squad were based on merit and not on favouritism.
"More so, no two coaches have the same playing style or player preferences. Just like the cook, he has a secret ingredient that he or she adds to the dish that is different from the other to make it spicy or delicious, so he not inviting any player from the Federation Cup champions is best known to him."
I want to also commend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for ensuring that the CHAN Eagles camp in South Africa for the championship in January.
"We all know how our various teams prepare for major competitions, it’s never easy. So for the NFF to have chosen Pretoria for the team is a welcome development.
"The weather is the same in Kigali, and I also hear the team will be training on synthetic turf too, which our players are used too.
"So with all of these in place, I expect nothing short of the CHAN title come February 7th. Mind you, I had the chance to see them play in one of the qualifiers in Port-Harcourt, these players showed zeal and the hunger to win. So I'm optimistic that this set of CHAN Eagles will not win bronze this time around."
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