Goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman secured a 2-1 victory for the Super Eagles over Tanzania in their opening match, while the Carthage Eagles edged past Uganda in Rabat.
Both sides head to the Fez Stadium aware that a win would guarantee early qualification to the Round of 16. Historically, Nigeria hold the upper hand, having won three of their six previous AFCON encounters, while two matches ended in draws.
Beyond points, pride is also on the line, with the most recent meeting taking place at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon where the North Africans emerged victorious in that Round of 16 clash, courtesy of Youssef Msakni’s 47th-minute strike.
Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Chelle, who favours a 4-4-2 diamond formation, admitted he is evaluating whether to stick with his preferred setup or tweak his tactics to counter Sami Trabelsi’s men.
“In my mind I have two options the first is maybe to let Tunisia have the ball or when we get the ball back we go direct or we continue with our philosophy,” he told the media.
“As we know Tunisia is a good team and maybe we will change something.
“We had our training sessions after the first game and in the sessions, we tried to add more intensity. We have a game against a great team so let’s go for this game.
“I have to prepare my players well as it’s not going to be easy. Tunisia is a great team like I said, they have a lot of good players with experience, lots of young players so they play well as a team.”
Chelle was asked to comment on the recent shift in African football, with many national federations now backing African coaches over their European counterparts.
At the ongoing AFCON in Morocco, 13 countries are led by African coaches: “I’m very happy about this development in African football,” he continued.
“African coaches are very capable, and now we have the opportunity to create our own identity, not just for one nation, but for the continent as a whole.
“We need to shape our tournaments and competitions in a way that reflects our style and strengths. This is more important than the European League.
“With players and coaches coming through, we must continue to improve, and I believe this will help elevate coaching across Africa. It’s a great step forward, and there is more progress to come.”
