The Super Eagles of Nigeria booked a quarter-final date at AFCON 2023 with the Palancras Negras of Angola on Friday in a clash that has started to generate heat.
For the Angolan side, it would be a massive feat if they beat the Super Eagles, and there are incentives in line to motivate the Palancras Negras, just as the Nigerian side has reasons to soar above their opponents.
Angola beat the Brave Warriors of Namibia to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in their history, while Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-0 to reach this stage.
Ahead of the Friday encounter, the Angolan national side has received plenty of incentives to motivate them to secure a vital win against the Super Eagles.
The big question is whether the incentives would be enough to secure victory for Angola.
Massive incentives for Angola ahead of Super Eagles clash
The Palancras Negras are not short of motivation for their Friday tie against the Super Eagles. The Angolan side finished top of its group after drawing 1-1 with Algeria, beating Mauritania 3-2 and Burkina Faso 2-0.
It will be foolhardy for Jose Peseiro to underrate the Angolan side, as they have proven to be a well-oiled team.
Following their qualification for the quarter-final, an Angolan bank, BAI, gave each Player $6,000, while a Telecoms company, UNITEL, gifted each Player an iPhone 15.
Confidence is high in the Angolan camp, with one of their players, Gilberto, boasting that they will beat the Nigerian side.
Angolan sports newspaper, Desportos teases Nigeria's Super Eagles ahead of their AFCON Quarter Finals game.
The headline reads, "Preparing the spice to barbecue the Eagles". pic.twitter.com/C7XN1IoqC9
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) January 29, 2024
Gilberto said Angola does not see Nigeria as a threat and that it would cause them plenty of pain.
More incentives have come in for Angola ahead of the clash against the Super Eagles.
An Angolan bank, Banco Keve, promised to give the Players $9,600 each if they beat Nigeria, while an Angolan diamond company, Social EP, promised the team $250,000 if they managed the feat.
The magnitude of the incentive for the Angolan players is enough to motivate the players to cause a massive upset at the tournament.
Perhaps the wealth of riches the Palancras Negras players will get if they beat the Super Eagles has led them to be boastful and confident of victory on Friday.
While the Angola are motivated by their incentives, the Super Eagles are yet to be paid their allowances and bonuses for the group stage.
Nigeria v Angola: A rich history
The Super Eagles have never found it easy against Angola, and this is the expectation when the two sides clash on Friday.
Angola hopes to qualify for the AFCON semi-final for the first time in their history. They have never met Nigeria at AFCON but have clashed several times during AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria denied the Angolans World Cup qualification in 1989, while the Angolans repaid the Super Eagles in the same coin in 2006.
Nigeria also beat Angola in their quest for a place at AFCON 1984.
Angola is a good team, it's going to be a difficult game but we look forward to it – William Troost Ekong
cc @olawalehamzattopstriker @agba_ni_wako_epo #afcon2023#lagelufm967#splashfm1055 pic.twitter.com/MFvIZ1gnvm
— The Splash FM Ibadan (@SplashFM1055) January 29, 2024
Both teams have an almost similar record at AFCON 2023 as they both qualified with seven points, but Angola finished top of its group, while Nigeria were second behind Equatorial Guinea.
Despite the confidence of the Palancras Negras, Nigeria boasts one of the meanest defences at the tournament, conceding only once, while Angola has leaked three goals.
This article was most recently revised and updated 12 months ago
