Torsten Spittler, Head Coach of the Amavubi of Rwanda, has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring that their mission is to defeat the Super Eagles in Monday’s final Group D match of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers to secure their place in the final tournament scheduled for Morocco, Completesports.com reports.
He spoke on Sunday evening at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, during a pre-match press conference ahead of Monday’s decisive Group D fixture against Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
An unlikely upset by the Amavubi would see Rwanda qualify for only their second-ever AFCON finals, following their maiden appearance in 2004 in Tunisia.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles have already secured their ticket to what will be their 21st appearance in Africa’s most prestigious football tournament, having won the title three times—in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
Spittler carefully chose his words during Sunday’s pre-match briefing, acknowledging the quality and potential of the Super Eagles, whom he described as a difficult team to play against.
“It’s clear that if we must go to AFCON 2025, we’ll have to win here [against the Super Eagles],” Spittler began.
“So, that’s our mission here. I’m expecting an interesting match against Nigeria, and we’ll have to fight until the last minute.”
When pressed about the source of his confidence in securing a win against the three-time African champions, the German added:
“For sure, we know that Nigeria is a very strong side. We’re expecting a very difficult game against the home side, but we’re here to get three points.
“We don’t know how seriously Nigeria will take the match now that they are already through, but I don’t think they’ll make it easy for us. It will be a very interesting game.”
Spittler and his Amavubi squad arrived in Uyo on Friday, the same day the Super Eagles landed after their 1-1 draw with the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Reflecting on his experiences so far in Nigeria, he said:
“I like it. We’ve also had good experiences,” he remarked before addressing his team’s campaign challenges, particularly their defeat to the Mediterranean Knights of Libya on Matchday Five.
“We’ve had some disappointing results in the last match, but for me, the important point is to develop our style of play significantly. This makes me proud of the team and the Federation.
“And we will have to wait to see what will happen tomorrow [Monday].”
Rwanda currently tops the standings in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, in which Nigeria are also competing, with seven points. Spittler explained how he plans to contain Nigeria’s attacking squad.
“I think this is our main approach. We will have to work as a team. Competing against your strikers in a one-on-one situation is nearly impossible.
“So, we have to organize ourselves and ensure that we always have two or three players against these guys [Eagles players]. Otherwise, it will be very difficult.
“It’s a matter of organization, and I’m very hopeful that my team can do it because we’ve shown it in some matches.”
(Complete Sports)
