Former CHAN Eagles player Barnabas Imenger Jr. has called on Nigeria’s current CHAN squad to capitalize on the reported struggles in Ghana’s camp and secure qualification for the 2025 African Nations Championship, CHAN.

The CHAN Eagles will face Ghana’s Black Galaxies later this month in a high-stakes playoff for a spot in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

This encounter is particularly significant, as Ghana has twice denied Nigeria CHAN qualification.

Painful memories linger from the inaugural qualifiers in 2009 when Nigeria suffered a second-half collapse.

In the last edition’s qualifiers, hosted by Algeria in 2023, Ghana won 2-0 at home and lost by the same margin in Abuja, only to edge Nigeria on penalties at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

The CHAN Eagles began their preparations on Sunday with a narrow 1-0 victory over Grassrunners FC in a friendly match.

Imenger, speaking with Brila.net, encouraged the players to view this as an opportunity to shine rather than focus solely on the rivalry.

“Right now, the Ghanaian national team is in crisis; they’ve been having difficulties,” Imenger remarked.

“I urge the Nigerian boys to capitalize on that and go all out to win the game. Football is all about winning, and Nigerians have a never-say-die spirit.

“Ghanaians have always been our rivals, but with their current situation, even their B team might struggle. We should aim for nothing short of victory.”

The first leg of the qualifiers is scheduled for Sunday, December 22, in Accra, with the decisive return leg set for Saturday, December 28, at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Victory in this playoff would secure Nigeria’s spot in the prestigious tournament, a feat that has eluded them in recent years.