Desiree Ellis, the coach of South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, anticipates a challenging atmosphere when her team faces the Super Falcons next month in Abuja.
The current African champions will compete against their rivals in the initial match of the 2024 Olympic Games final round qualifier at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Friday, April 5.
The return match is scheduled to be held at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria four days later.
Ellis mentioned that the Nigerian supporters are likely to create a tough environment for Banyana Banyana.
She mentioned to SABC, “It might be a hostile environment, and we are aware of the passionate Nigerian fans – we will need that exposure to overcome this challenge.”
“The match will be arduous as Nigeria has not participated in the Olympics since 2008, and their team has evolved since our last encounter (during the 2022 WAFCON).
“They still stand as one of the top teams on the continent. They have a history of winning (Nigeria has secured 11 out of 14 WAFCON titles) and have been consistently strong over the recent years. We are in a similar level but we need to maintain our consistency.”
The ultimate victors will advance to Group C in Paris 2024, alongside Brazil, Japan, and reigning champions Spain.