I hope Salah stays far away from our goal – Ekong

Super Eagles vice-captain, William Troost-Ekong has said he does not wish to see Liverpool and Egypt forward, Mohamed Salah, close to his side’s defence line when they meet on Tuesday in Garoua. The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon began yesterday until the 6th of February. NIGERIA DAILY: AFCON 2021: Uncertainty As Super Eagles […]

Super Eagles vice-captain, William Troost-Ekong has said he does not wish to see Liverpool and Egypt forward, Mohamed Salah, close to his side’s defence line when they meet on Tuesday in Garoua.

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon began yesterday until the 6th of February.

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Nigeria were placed in a tough Group D alongside Guinea-Bissau, Sudan and seven-time African champions Egypt.

The first match will be on 11 January against the Pharaohs, who will be led by Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.

Salah has been in great form this season with the Reds, having already scored 23 goals in 26 games across all competitions, and even made the final three-man list for FIFA’s The Best Award.

Despite the difficulty of the task ahead, Super Eagles centre back Troost-Ekong believes they can contain the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner.

“I hope he stays as far away from us and our goal as possible,” the Watford defender told BBC’s Football Focus.

“This season he’s obviously been on fire and we all know how good he is, but at the same time I’m very confident in our team,” he added.

Meanwhile, the media officer, Babafemi Raji, believes his side will finish above Egypt.

Raji is fully aware of the threat that Salah poses, however, he says they mustn’t focus just on beating the winger but on the team as a whole.

“We very much respect the Egyptian team and know the capabilities of Mohamed Salah. Our team has great potential and we know how to stop the strengths of the Pharaohs.

“We are here to play against the entire Egyptian national team, not just against Mohamed Salah.

“It is certain that Nigeria is the first candidate to qualify from its group, and we do not care who will qualify with us, and we respect everyone,” he added.