Maikaba: Burkina Faso Could Suffer First Defeat in WAFU B U20 Final

Nigeria Flying Eagles head coach, Abdul Maikaba, says his team is focused on completing their WAFU B U20 Championship campaign with victory against Burkina Faso in the final.

Maikaba explained that the team has approached the tournament one game at a time, gradually progressing from the group stage to the knockout rounds and now the final.

“Like I said earlier in the tournament, we will take each game as it comes. We take one game after another. We started from the group stage, moved to the knockout stage, and now we are in the final.

“We are one win away from qualifying for the AFCON and winning the WAFU B U20 tournament. It has been a gradual process, one match at a time, and now we are at the last match of the competition.”

The final presents an interesting rematch between Nigeria and Burkina Faso, who met earlier in the group stage, with Burkina Faso emerging victorious. Maikaba is hoping the outcome will be different this time as both sides battle for the title and a place at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations.

“It involves us and Burkina Faso, who I would say are friends from the same group. We met the first time and lost, and now we are meeting again in the final. I hope this time it will be our turn to win the game and round everything off with the trophy.”

The coach remained tight-lipped about his tactical plans, insisting that revealing his strategy publicly could give Burkina Faso an advantage.

“Tactically, I will not say anything because when it comes to tactics, that is something I discuss with my players. I don’t want anybody to hear about it because it is not for the public.

“I have told my players what I have identified about Burkina Faso, and I don’t think I should tell the public because the Burkina Faso team will then get to know about it.”

Maikaba expects an explosive encounter and believes his team will approach the game with a clear tactical plan designed to give them the advantage.

He also praised Burkina Faso for their impressive campaign, describing them as a very good and consistent team.

“Burkina Faso is a very good team. They are unique in this competition. They have not lost any game, and I think they are the only team that have not lost a game. That makes them special.

“But maybe the loss they will have is going to be in the final, and it will give us the trophy.”

Maikaba also recalled his earlier prediction that Burkina Faso’s first goal conceded could prove decisive.

“I said the first goal they would concede might send them out of the competition, and that is what happened. I hope the same thing happens again.”

With qualification for the U20 AFCON and the WAFU B title both at stake, all eyes will be on Sunday final as Nigeria look to turn their earlier group-stage defeat to Burkina Faso into a championship triumph.