Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has expressed concerns about the condition of the pitch at the 24 de Setembro Stadium in Bissau ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash with Guinea-Bissau.

The two teams will meet on Tuesday in their second Group L fixture, with both sides seeking to maintain their winning starts to the qualifying campaign.

Guinea-Bissau opened with a 2-0 away victory over Tanzania, while Nigeria defeated Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo.

Chelle, however, declined to make a definitive assessment of the playing surface before his team had trained at the venue.

“I don’t want to say whether the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. We just need to stay focused on our game,” he said.

The Franco-Malian added that the condition of the pitch would be assessed during the team’s training session before decisions were made on how Nigeria would approach the match.

The Super Eagles held their official training at the stadium on Monday evening under light rain, with all 24 invited players taking part in the 65-minute session.

The condition of the pitch has attracted attention partly because Guinea-Bissau is currently experiencing its rainy season, with persistent rainfall capable of leaving the surface soft, uneven and saturated.

Guinea-Bissau coach Emiliano Té acknowledged that the pitch was not among the best but said the hosts had little control over the conditions.

“We are playing in Africa and we know that our pitch is not one of the best, but it is what it is. It is what we have and we cannot do anything about it,” Té said.

He added that the hosts also did not like the current condition of the pitch but were unable to control the rainfall.

Chelle said Nigeria respected Guinea-Bissau and would not underestimate the hosts, who began their campaign with an away victory in Tanzania.

“They have a great team and have some players who play in Europe. This is a big game,” he said.

The coach said Nigeria’s objective was to secure three points but acknowledged that achieving the result would require a strong mentality and an ability to adapt to the conditions.

The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nigerian time at the 24 de Setembro Stadium in Bissau.