Benin coach Michel Dussuyer has said his team have been inspired by the results Sierra Leone got against Nigeria and so hope to beat the star-studded Nigerians on Saturday in Porto-Novo.
In November, the Leone Stars staged a remarkable comeback by fighting back from four goals down to draw 4-4 with the Super Eagles in Benin City, while the return leg in Freetown a couple days later ended in a scoreless draw.
“To beat Nigeria, it won’t be easy because Nigeria have many top players who play in Europe, but Sierra Leone have shown us that it is not impossible,” said Dussuyer, who is back in his second spell with Benin.
“In the first game in Nigeria, we were disappointed they beat us (2-1).
“We know the Nigerian team better and out ambition is to beat them here at home.”
The Squirrels have been boosted by the availability of as many as a dozen players, who are based in France and who were in danger of missing out on this clash because of travel restrictions because of the Covid Pandemic before the authorities relaxed them.
They will qualify for the AFCON in Cameroon with victory on Saturday.
They have seven points from four matches, a point behind qualifying group leaders Nigeria.
