Finidi George Shares Insight on How Nigeria Will Approach South Africa and Benin Matches

• Finidi George and Nigeria face South Africa and Benin next month
• The Super Eagles are expected to win the two World Cup qualifiers
• The new coach has discussed how he is approaching the two games

Nigeria face South Africa and Benin next month in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The two matches will be Finidi Geroge's first games as permanent coach following his appointment and unveiling this month.

The new coach has opened up on the two matches and what his team must do to get six valuable points.

Nigeria's clash with South Africa will take place on June 7 in Uyo before they face Benin three days later in Ivory Coast.

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Finidi will be under pressure to deliver positive results, considering the Super Eagles failed to beat Zimbabwe and Lesotho in their first two Group C matches. In March, he coached Nigeria as an interim coach.

Finidi talks South Africa, Benin

Moreover, the West African giants are looking to reach the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2018. In an interview with Afrik-Foot, Finidi welcomed the two matches, saying they have to face the most formidable teams.

"Nigeria is a tough football nation; Nigeria is a big nation, we can’t be asking for less. For us to qualify for the World Cup, we definitely have to play tough opponents along the line, and so I don’t think it’s a problem with the calibre of players we have in the squad now."

He explained his approach to the upcoming matches that will likely shape his tenure as coach.

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"We just have to face those two teams with a good mindset and focused mentality so that we can achieve the set target, which is all about winning."

The former Ajax star expressed the need to be bold despite expectations. The Super Eagles beat Bafana Bafana in the 2023 AFCON semis.

"I know the task ahead, and I know what Nigerians are expecting, so it will not be nice for me to keep quiet like I don’t know. It is only right for me to be bold and talk about our expectations, and that is what I did."

The Super Eagles are third in their group with two points after two matches. Rwanda are top, while South Africa are second in Group C.

What Finidi wants to see in his team

Sports Brief earlier reported on Finidi listing several attributes he would love to see in a Super Eagles team.

The former Enyimba FC coach star made these comments a few years ago. He stressed that the Nigeria national team needed to have an identity.