Emmanuel Amuneke has admitted the Super Eagles defence must be at their best when they come face-to-face with Egypt star Mohamed Salah in their opening AFCON Group D clash next Tuesday.
Salah, 29, is the leading scorer in the Premier League with 16 goals for Liverpool thus far.
He has maintained the form he displayed last season.
“It’s a big challenge playing against Egypt and a player like Mohamed Salah in the first game,” said Amuneke, who is on the CAF technical study group for the AFCON in Cameroon.
“It’s also a big challenge for our defence.
“We have to defend collectively against him, of course.
“We’ve been growing together since a few years now and I believe our defence will be efficient against such a fantastic player.”