Captain of the Nigerian Super Eagle, Ahmed Musa says the teams focus is to gain three points from the match against Benin Republic in Porto Novo slated for 17:00 (West African Time) on Saturday, March 27.

The three time African champions, Super Eagles are confident of taking three points off the Squirrels of Benin Republic this evening when they come face to face with their neighbours in Porto Novo.

With three – pointer Sierra Leone scheduled to commence hostilities with bottom – placed Lesotho at 3pm GMT, and Nigeria and Benin due to kick off at 6pm GMT, it means the match in southern Africa would have ended before the group leaders take to the pitch of Stade Charles de Gaulle in west Africa.

Even as a draw in Maseru will send the Super Eagles through to the finals in Cameroon, the players have said they are not interested in the encounter in Maseru and would rather concentrate on achieving a double over the Squirrels.

It will be recalled that Super Eagles defeated their opponents 2-1 in the first leg encounter on November 13, 2019 in Uyo.

“We are not looking at what happens in Lesotho,” said Captain Ahmed Musa. “It is not necessary for us to bother ourselves with what they play.

“Our focus is to get the three points in Porto Novo and wrap up qualification. Three points will get us to Cameroon no matter what anyone plays, and that is what we are determined to get.”

Meanwhile, Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr has continued to talk of the importance of rediscovering winning mentality to go into the FIFA World Cup qualifying battles in top shape.

“I am keen for the winning mentality; we need it very much and when we rediscover it, we must keep it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles arrived in Porto Novo for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Benin on Friday by boat.

They left Lagos in the morning through the Lagos State Waterways Authority boat jetty in Ikoyi with more than three vessels spotted conveying the team.

After their arrival in the West African country, the three-time Afcon champions completed a mandatory coronavirus test and they moved to the Golden Tulip Le Diplomat hotel, where they will be residing.

Gernot Rohr’s side currently sit atop of Group L with eight points after four matches, and victory over second-placed Benin would secure their qualification for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The last time the two teams met was at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in November 2019 for their first qualifying fixture, with goals from Victor Osimhen and Samuel Kalu completing a 2-1 comeback win for the Super Eagles.

Ahead of Saturday’s match, Benin coach Michel Dussuyer admitted that it will be a tough contest against Nigeria, since his side are set to miss Stephane Sessegnon, who scored their only goal in Akwa Ibom in 2019.

“On Saturday, our ambition is to win. It will not be an easy task, but we have hopes,” Dussuyer said.

“Stephane Sessegnon is selected as a special guest. He is not on the list of 23. He is called for his leadership and will participate in training sessions.”

Rohr, on his part, was also looking forward to a difficult clash in Porto Novo as he wants a “positive end” to their qualification campaign.

“We want to finish our qualification on a positive note, and the two matches against Benin and Lesotho are very important,” the German managed said.

“Of course, we know that Benin is difficult to beat after our last game in Uyo [Nigeria won 2-1] and we need at least a point against them to qualify for next year’s Afcon.”