Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf has stated his team is calm ahead of their epic Round of 16 clash against Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt on Saturday.
At the Alexandria Stadium, the Super Eagles are set to battle it out with the Indomitable Lions for a place in the quarter-finals.
“We are glad to have qualified and we don’t feel pressure because we are used to it,” Seedorf said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Pressure is second skin for me and I am happy to be leading Cameroon to defend their title and it’s an honour playing Nigeria at AFCON”.
“We will respect Nigeria because they can improve on what they’ve shown so far in this tournament”.
“We expect the very best Nigeria tomorrow because they have shown at the World Cup and during the qualifiers that they are a good team, so we expect them to be much improved against us and we have to be ready.”
Cameroon’s “shyness” in front of goal remains a major concern. Following their 2-0 triumph over Guinea-Bissau in their group opener, the Lions settled for goalless draws with Ghana and Benin in their second and third games.
“We’ve analysed our lack of goals and we believe it’s down to our decisions in the final pass. We’ve been helped by our clean sheets but this is a knockout and we have to find solutions tomorrow,” Seedorf explained.
“It’s not about the strikers, it’s about us continuing to command our games and continuing to create chances”.
“We have to live in the present and that is for us to approach the game with confidence. Players dream of matches like this as kids and they have to enjoy it tomorrow. We have seen a few ways we can hurt them”.
“We don’t underestimate anybody, and Nigeria will know they’ll be facing a solid Cameroon side tomorrow. It will be easy for everyone to lift their game in such a big match.”
It will be the seventh encounter between Nigeria and AFCON holders Cameroon, the record between the two teams being perfectly balanced with each team winning twice and the other two games ending in draws.
