10th October, 2012
Attention will shift to the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Cross River State on Saturday when Super Eagles of Nigeria play host to Lone Star of Liberia in the return leg of the make or mar 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, but the question begging to be answered is: can the Eagles scale the hurdle of the visitors?
The first leg of the encounter ended 2-2 on 9 September in Monrovia, Liberia; it is however expected of the Nigerians to come out victorious and eventually qualify for the South Africa 2013 Nations Cup.
Coach Stephen Keshi must learn from the mistakes made by his predecessor, Samson Siasia, after failing to qualify for the 2012 edition co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, which eventually cost him his job.
Football pundits see the Eagles as favourites to pick the ticket but the Nigerians must put up a winning mentality if they must see off their West African neighbors, who appear hell-bent on qualifying for the biannual football showpiece.
—Adebobola Alawode/Sunday Akintoye