Chelle demands "attitude and fight" from new-look Super Eagles squad

The Malian manager has selected a highly experimental squad for the four-nation tournament, with up to 12 players in line to earn their first senior international caps. 

The competition serves as a crucial opportunity for Chelle to assess new talent and build depth for future campaigns.

Nigeria will kick off their Unity Cup title defence against Zimbabwe at The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic. The winner of the tie will face either Jamaica or India in the final on Saturday.

Chelle is focused on the opportunity it presents for players eager to stake their claim for a permanent spot in the national team.

"Like I said, we have a vision for this national team," the former Mali coach stated at a pre-match press conference. 

"Some of the new players are ready and motivated. The players from the NPFL, the players from the European leagues, they have the chance to enter the main Super Eagles team."

Chelle emphasised that mentality would be more important than technical perfection for the debutants.

"When you play a game like this, the first thing is the attitude, the state of mind," he explained. "The most important thing for them... you know when you play football, you make some mistakes. This is not a question about the mistakes. 

“This is a question of what you can do after the mistakes. The only pressure they can have is to fight for every ball. It is to run, run and run."

Nigeria are the defending Unity Cup champions, having defeated Ghana and Jamaica in last year's tournament.