Nigeria Ready To Unleash Moses At AFCON Finals Today

A repeat of Nigeria and Burkina Faso’s opening Group C match is on the cards today to determine who will bear the toga African champions for the next two years. Up for grabs asides bragging rights is a spot in Group B of the FIFA Confederations Cup alongside Spain, Uruguay and Tahiti in Brazil a few months away (June to be precise). Friendly internationals with the leading soccer powers will also be a fallout of today’s game, not to talk of the possibility of individual players earning (or improving on) lucrative deals with the foremost club sides in world football.

Africa’s soccer fiesta is known for throwing up surprises, Zambia’s victory at last year’s event buttressing this point. Nigeria, despite being a traditional power in the game, was not expected to play in today’s showpiece. The manner of reaching today’s final has been even more surprising – pleasantly if you are Nigerian – as the Nigerian team upped the ante with a scintillating 2-1 victory over tournament favourites, Cote D’Ivoire, in the quarter final and a 4-1 mauling of Mali in the Semi.

Burkina Faso, if anything, are more surprising finalists. Many Nigerians probably heard the country’s name for the first time after they were famously beaten 7-1 by Nigeria in an AFCON final in the early ‘90s. The present incarnation have however proven to be resilient and hard to beat. Like Nigeria, they are unbeaten so far but success has been built on a tight defense and hard work.

The Stallions showed the stuff they are made of in their first match at this competition, clawing back draw with a 94th minute equalizer. The only other goal they have conceded apart from that given away to Emmanuel Emenike was a penalty against Ghana in the semi finals.

They will be in the final fo the first time in their history, while Nigeria will be contesting their seventh, despite winning only two.

This means the best attack in this year’s AFCON will faceoff against its best defence. Both teams are also the only ones to have hit the four goal mark, ensuring that against all odds, these two teams have earned their place in the final with the winner surely earning the title of Africa’s best.

Meanwhile Chelsea winger Victor Moses has an '80% chance' to feature in today’s Super Eagles' AFCON final against the Stallions of Burkina Faso after training with his teammates in Johannesburg Saturday.

 Moses picked up a left ankle injury early in Wednesday’s semi-final against Mali in Durban and has therefore been a major injury concern for Nigeria.

 He missed the Eagles' first training in Johannesburg on Thursday, but he returned to the pitch on Friday and was drilled by the team’s physio.

Moses, who scored two penalties when Nigeria beat Ethiopia in Rustenburg, revealed on his twitter handle that he is currently under treatment and should be fit. “Lot of people asking about my injury, I’m having treatment and hopefully should be fine for the final,” tweeted Moses.

However, Moses trained with the team Saturday evening as he kicked the ball and ran around without any hint of pain.
“Moses has a good chance of playing the final. It has been put at 80% and he has agreed to play beyond the pain barrier,” a team official said according to MTNfootball.com.

Meanwhile, fellow attacker and joint-top score of the Nations Cup, Emmanuel Emenike is still a doubt as he hasn’t featured in any training match since Wednesday’s match. The Spartak Moscow striker sat out the team’s training Saturday evening though there are suspicions that this might just be a ploy to deceive the Burkinabes.

Emenike sat down and watched the team train without putting on his boots. But close sources say that the Spartak Moscow striker is likely to start, something that would surprise their opponents.

Speaking ahead of the team’s last training session at the Soccer City in Soweto, Super Eagles boss, Stephen Keshi was quoted by team’s Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, as saying “I will wait till the last minute and by Sunday we will know whether the boys will play or not, any other opinion is unacceptable.”

He however assured Nigerians not to panic over the two players as the medics are working round the clock to ensure that they are fit for the final, even as he said that in the case of the unexpected he has capable replacements to fit into the shoes of the duo.

“I can understand the apprehension of the public over the two players but we must be a little patient, because I know that the two of them want to play in the final and the medical team is working round the clock.”

Moses and Emenike have scored six goals between them as well as chipping in with a fair amount of assists