Benin Republic forward Ishola Olaitan is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to face Nigeria in the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Born in Benin to a Nigerian father and a Beninese mother, Olaitan debuted for the Benin national team in a 1-0 victory over Madagascar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

With Benin Republic set to host Nigeria in Abidjan, and the Forward is expected to lead the attack for the Squirrels, a team now coached by former Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr.

“It’s going to be a great, we are all looking forward to the match. We have been preparing since the draw was,” said the 22 year-old.

“Personally, I have two countries now, Nigeria and Benin. I have my family in Nigeria and they are eager to see me play against Nigeria.”

“Nigeria has great team and players like Ademola Lookman and Victor Boniface who are on top of their game at the moment.”

“But we are not afraid of facing them. We believe we can win,” He said ahead of the game.

Olaitan played the full 90 minutes in Benin’s recent game against Rwanda last Thursday and is poised to start against Nigeria, his father’s homeland, today.

In his 15 appearances for the Squirrels, Olaitan has scored one goal.

Benin currently stands third in the group with four points, one point above fifth-placed Nigeria and one point behind table toppers Lesotho.