Ethiopia’s defender Alulu Girma has boasted that they hope to beat Nigeria at home and then fight in the return leg World Cup playoffs.
Ethiopia host the Super Eagles on October 12 with the return leg in Calabar on November 16.
“We must make sure that we get a good win in Addis Ababa and go for a fight in Nigeria,” said Saint George defender Girma.
He also warned that the star-studded Super Eagles are wrong to believe it will be an easy game when both teams clash next month.
He said since they lost 2-0 to Nigeria at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, they have continued to improve as a team.
“We have been together for a while now and have played so many games both in the World Cup qualifiers and Africa Nations Championship qualifiers,” explained the defender.
Ethiopia will take encouragement with their first and only defeat of Nigeria in a 1994 Nations Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa.
They won 1-0 only to be trounced 6-0 in the return leg match in Lagos.
Nigeria have won four other meetings, while two other matches ended in draws.