Waldrum reveals he doesn't care about history, raises 3 key points ahead of AWCON qualifiers clash

Ahead of Nigeria's qualifying game against Ivory Coast, head coach Randy Waldrum has spoken in an interview with CAF, sharing what he thinks about his side, their opponents, and the history between both nations.

The West African giants clash in the final qualifying round for this year's Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON). 

The all-important qualifiers will first, see the Super Falcons host the Ivorians in Abuja, before making a trip to Abidjan, four days later for the second leg. The winner on aggregate will then be expected to pick one of twelve tickets to participate in the showpiece event in Morocco. 

But what exactly are the thoughts of Waldrum, as he hopes that his side escapes a possible upset, and secure a 12th consecutive AWCON appearance?

The 65-year-old American claimed that he was not scared ahead of the game, as the Super Falcons had a good understanding of their opponents. "I think we have a good understanding of Cote d’Ivoire and their current side. We recognize the strengths of our opponents, and will be prepared for that."

"We also understand how they will try to play against us, and the physical component is one part of it. We will cope with this well and as I said before, controlling the game can eliminate some of those issues," he added.

Although Nigeria has failed to win four times in their last five outings with Ivory Coast - the only victory being a penalty shootout triumph in the 2019 WAFU Cup final in Abidjan - Waldrum believes that previous matches have no bearing on current ones.

"I’m not big on history as that is why they call it history", the former Trinidad and Tobago manager said. 

"As I said before, getting past Cote d’Ivoire means we continue on our goal of achieving the Women's World Cup qualification", he added.

The Super Falcons are yet to record an outright win in the last five meetings with the Ivorians since 2015, but Waldrum stated that the team were ready this time. "The spirit in the camp is very high and positive. The players have been looking forward to these matches for some time now, and their professionalism has been fantastic."

Speaking on the first qualifying round of games where Nigeria lost the second leg but knocked the Black Queens of Ghana out, Waldrum admitted that Super Falcons could have done better.

"Ghana were a very good side and getting past them was one hurdle. We didn’t control the game against Ghana as well as we should, apart from the first half of the home leg," 

"We must do a better job of this against Cote d’Ivoire."

"It’s vitally important to our goals of achieving another FIFA Women's World Cup berth. Playing the first match at home is important as well to get on the front foot in everything we do."

He also spoke about the talents in the Nigerian squad. "We have some talents in our team as well. We also understand how they will try to play against us, and the physical component is one part of it. We will cope with this well and as I said before, controlling the game can eliminate some of those issues."