Ugandan forward Uche Ikpeazu anticipates a tough battle against Nigeria but remains confident that his team will emerge victorious in today’s African Cup of Nations clash.
The Cranes face the Super Eagles who have already booked their spot in the round of 16, hoping for a win to also reach the knockout stages.
Ikpeazu was born to a Nigerian father and an Ugandan mother, but opted against playing for his fatherland and now prepares to play against them for the first time in his career.
“I’m half Nigerian, that’s where my dad is from so of course there’s going to be an emotional attachment”, the 30-year-old revealed.
“There’s always going to be that. But I have an emotional attachment to Uganda as well and I play for Uganda as well, so I will be hoping to beat Nigeria, I’m sorry.”
The forward scored for Uganda in their 1-1 draw against Tanzania in their previous outing, leaving them with a single point after two matches at the tournament.
The Cranes had earlier suffered a 3-1 defeat to Tunisia in their opening match and must now defeat Nigeria to reach the next phase in Morocco.
“I’m obviously happy. It keeps our dreams alive of qualifying from the group so I’m happy about that. But obviously, you want to win the game”, Ikpeazu reacted to his strike against Tanzania.
“So if I could win the game and not score, that would have been my preference. But listen, I scored and we all know that we have to do the business against Nigeria.”
Uganda and Nigeria face-off at the Fez Stadium later today in their final group C clash, with everything to play for in the clash.
“You want to play at the highest level possible and obviously I’ve overcome so much trials and tribulations and to play at the African Cup of Nations has always been a dream of mine,” he added.
“It’s amazing but I have a lot of desire to progress through the next round. I don’t want the journey to finish, I feel like it’s just getting started.”
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
