Jamaica coach Rudolph Speid believes the time has finally come for the Reggae Boyz to end Nigeria’s dominance in the Unity Cup final when both countries clash again in London on Saturday, Footynaija reports.
The Caribbean side reached another final after beating India 2-0 with debutant Courtney Clarke and teenager Kaheim Dixon scoring in an assured display. Their reward is another meeting with the Super Eagles, a fixture that has become one of the standout rivalries of the tournament.
Nigeria have won every previous Unity Cup meeting between the nations, including last year’s dramatic final at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. On that occasion, the Super Eagles needed penalties to secure a 5-4 triumph after an entertaining 2-2 draw.
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Speid admitted the repeated defeats to Nigeria remain painful but insisted his players are motivated to change the story this weekend.
“You guys (Nigeria) have always beaten us every single time before. I am hoping that’s not the case this time,” Speid told the press.
“But it’s always exciting to play against Nigeria. They play exciting football and are one of the powerhouses in Africa, so it’s always good.
“We always look forward to playing them. Last year was very exciting, it was a 2-2 draw. This year, I hope we’ll have better results against them.”
The Jamaican coach also revealed he has already started studying Eric Chelle’s side after their semi-final victory.
“We saw them play last night (Tuesday).
“We’ll do some more analysis on what they will be doing and then we will decide if we need to change anything.”
Despite Nigeria arriving with several big names unavailable, Speid warned his team will still have to deal with a dangerous opponent.
“Well, they are very, very good but every team is beatable, and we have to be aware of what they bring,” he said.
“We have some things to bring ourselves. Jamaica is still in a rebuilding stage, lots of young players. As with the game these days, nobody is a winner before the game is played. That’s where we are right now.”
Nigeria are expected to rely again on Eric Chelle’s aggressive attacking systems, with Terem Moffi, Philip Otele and Rafiu Durosinmi among the players likely to feature prominently as the Super Eagles chase another Unity Cup crown.
