TheCable

Ikechukwu Ezenwa says players who perform well at CHAN 2018 will improve their chances of making the World Cup list of Super Eagles technical adviser Gernot Rohr.

In an interview with thenff.com, the goalkeeper said the home-based Eagles are drawn in a “very tough group” but that he expects a better performance than the last tournament.

“The preparation has been going on well. We have been playing some friendly games and I must say it has been good preparation all round,” Ezenwa, who is presently the Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper, said on Tuesday.

“The camping here in Nigeria is coming to an end we are in good shape to continue the next phase of preparation in Morocco ahead of our first match.

“First of all, we are going to take each game as it comes; we have had very good preparation so far and the unity in the team is awesome and with that, I am confident of a better outing than the last time in Rwanda.

“Rwanda, Libya and Equatorial Guinea are very good sides when it comes to the CHAN tournament.

“Look at the last edition, Rwanda were very tough and they performed better than us.

“Libya are former champions so they are no newcomers to the competition and for Equatorial Guinea, they will be coming with the bunch of players that played the World Cup qualifiers for them, so to be honest, it’s going to be a very tough group for us but we are up to the task.

“I think any player that does very well will have an opportunity because the technical adviser, Gernot Rohr will be in Morocco with us just like he was with us in Ghana where some players who did well were invited for the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zambia.

“So, I strongly believe anyone who proves himself well will definitely get a look-in, but the most important thing for us right now is to go to Morocco and do the nation proud by winning the trophy.”

The fifth African Nations Championship hosted by Morocco starts on January 13 and ends on February 4, 2018.