Angola will try to beat Nigeria next Friday, in the quarter-finals of the 34th edition of the competition, which takes place in Ivory Coast, in what will also be a duel between Portuguese coaches, with Pedro Gonçalves, in charge of the 'Palancas Negras', and José Peseiro, leading the Nigerian team.
In Luanda, expectations are optimistic and many believe in Angola's victory, which will lead to passage to the semi-finals of the most important competition on the African continent at national team level.
"Angola will beat Nigeria because, at the moment, we have better players. I saw the Nigeria games and I saw the Angola games, I realized that Angola has good players, capable of beating Nigeria and I hope the coach doesn't change the eleven initial team, remain the same team as in the previous game, because if we make changes there will be a drop in performance in our team", told Lusa Antenor Domingos.
Despite the three continental titles that Nigeria retains, unlike Angola, which never reached the podium, Antenor believes in the triumph of the Angolans and in winning the African Cup of Nations.
"Each game is a game, and each CAN is a CAN. Right now, we are prepared to win this CAN. Gelson Dala, Gilberto and Mabululu will make the difference and we will beat Nigeria 3-0", he predicted.
Fernando Cadumbo is another voice that believes in the Angolans qualifying for the semi-finals, despite some weaknesses still demonstrated by the Angolans.
"We are strong in the defensive transition, but in midfield we are very weak and as Nigeria's coach, José Peseiro, knows Angolan football very well and says that Angola is very strong on the wings, so let's take advantage of the wings. I believe that Nigeria will take advantage of our midfield. There is a young man called Estrela, who was a great player in the last match, but Nigeria will have difficulty on the wings", he said.
Furthermore, he highlighted the need for a victory over the Nigerians, regardless of the result: "This is a knockout game. Even if it's on penalties, we want to win. It doesn't matter by how much, whether it's two, four or five, It's a knockout game and we hope that Mabululu and Gelson Dala make a difference on the field".
Helena Chinanga also joins the positive trend and believes in Angola's victory.
"The expectation is to win the game, to beat Nigeria 5-0. Our players have a lot of energy, they are young and we believe that they will win this game, we are completely sure that they will win this game. All of our energy for Angola's players", she wished.
Among the Angolans, there is no thought of any other possibility than victory, and among several possible outcomes, Manuel Cabaça is another voice that appears confident.
"As an Angolan and son of the municipality of Cazenga [Mabulu's neighborhood of origin, scorer of one of the goals in Angola's last game], I say that we will win 2-1, with a goal from Mabululu and another from Gelson Dala, despite still There will be some fragility in the midfield, but we will win", he predicted.
Télson Domingos, another football fan, despite highlighting the good form of the Angolan team, is cautious and admits that it will be a difficult game for both teams, which is why he attributes favoritism to both teams.
"The Angolan team is very well positioned. Looking at the history, it has been a long time since our team reached this level in terms of goals and tactical level. We are in the quarter-finals, Angola is doing very well and Nigeria has not demonstrated the football that we know. Therefore, I believe that Angola is at the level of facing Nigeria in order to win the match", he admitted.
As for the squad led by Pedro Goncalves, Télson Domingos highlights the need to improve the defensive sector, unlike the Angolan attack, which, in his opinion, is doing very well.
"I have noticed that Mabululu is a player who, for me, among all the games that Angola has played, is the player who is giving a lot of power in terms of forwards. On the defensive side we have good players, but still, I note here that we have to improve a lot, we have good defenders, but they need to improve their technical qualities more", he said.
Angola and Nigeria play on Friday, starting at 5pm, in Abidjan, in the quarter-finals of CAN2023, which also includes duels Democratic Republic of Congo-Guinea, Mali-Ivory Coast and Cape Verde-Africa do South.
