Desiree Ellis Remains Confident as Banyana Banyana Prepare to Upset Nigeria in Olympic Qualifier

• Banyana Banyana will take on Nigeria in the second leg of the 2024 Olympic qualifier
• The Super Falcons hold a slight lead going into the tie and have history on their side
• Desiree Ellis believes that her team are prepared for the threat that Nigeria possess

Nigeria may have the advantage going into their second-leg tie against Banyana Banyana, but Desiree Ellis isn’t giving up hope yet.

Nigeria lead the two-legged tie 1-0, having beaten the South Africans in Abuja last week.

With a place at the 2024 Olympics in Paris up for grabs, SA will be desperate to fight back and overturn the single-goal deficit.

Speaking ahead of the tie, Ellis believes that her team have perfected strategies to beat the Super Falcons, Soccernet.ng reported.

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“We know we are better than what we showed in Nigeria. We can do way better than that, and I think the second half showed how well we can play. It is a match we have to win,” she said.

Ellis added that they also looked at the footage from the first game in preparation for the next fixture, understanding that getting an early goal would be critical.

“We have to put everything into it to make sure that we get the goal early to be able to kickstart from there,” Ellis added.

History remains on Nigeria’s side

While Ellis is confident the South Africans can turn things around, history isn’t on the side of Banyana.

The reigning WAFCON champions have never beaten the Nigerians in SA. The two sides have played seven times in the country, with the Nigerians winning five of those games and drawing the other two.

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Nigeria unfazed by South African support, says Payne

Sports Brief reported how Nigeria’s Toni Payne said her nation would not be fazed by South Africa’s support.

The Super Falcons will take on Banyana Banyana in the second leg of their Olympic qualifier, leading the tie 1-0.

Over 50 000 South African supporters are expected to come out in support of the home nation at Loftus Versfeld.