Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere believes Nigeria can recover from their defeat to Niger Republic when they face Côte d’Ivoire in a decisive Group B clash at the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Nigeria head into Saturday’s encounter needing a victory to keep their hopes of progressing in the competition alive after suffering a setback in their opening match.

Speaking at a press conference at Stade du 4 Août on Friday, Uwejamomere urged his players to remain composed and focused as they prepare for the crucial fixture.

The coach also drew encouragement from previous editions of the competition, recalling how Nigeria recovered from opening-match defeats at the 2018 and 2021 tournaments to secure qualification.

“We had a setback in the game against Niger Republic, but we are in great spirit to overcome it as we play Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday,” Uwejamomere said.

“It is a dicey situation. We are calm and reminding the players of how we want to play. We have analysed Côte d’Ivoire, how they play, their strengths and weaknesses.”

The Golden Eaglets will need to turn their preparations into a strong performance against the Ivorians, with little room for error in their bid to remain in contention.

Uwejamomere and his technical crew will be counting on their tactical assessment and the players’ ability to execute the game plan as Nigeria seek to get their campaign back on track.