Nigeria coach Eric Chelle has called on his players to stay focused as they prepare for Saturday’s must-win World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Uyo.

The Super Eagles sit fourth in Group C after a string of draws, and victory at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium is crucial to keep their campaign alive.

Nigeria won the reverse fixture 2-0 in Kigali thanks to Victor Osimhen’s brace, but Chelle expects a tougher test this time.“This is only about the Rwanda game,” Chelle told reporters. “We have a good team coming to Uyo tomorrow, and they also have a good technical staff.

For us, we are ready with our game plan, and I want my players to be focused on just this game, and not the World Cup qualifiers as a whole. We need to win this game. After this, we will see what happens.”Nigeria’s home form has been a concern, with all their fixtures ending in draws so far, but Chelle has urged his team to start strong. “What I can only tell my players is to play with intensity.

We want to take control of the game from the first minute. The most important thing is what we do in the opening five, 10, 15 minutes. We also must be in the right state of mind to achieve our objective.”Chelle also defended his decision to include Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, despite his lack of club minutes amid an ongoing transfer saga.

“About Lookman, can we do a list without the best player in Africa? This is my job to do. If he can play, maybe five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 50 minutes, or even 60 minutes.

I cannot make a list without him. I trust him, and I have so much confidence in him.”A win over Rwanda would move Nigeria into third place ahead of their trip to South Africa on Tuesday to face Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein.