Chelle warns Super Eagles stars that 100% record in group stage will not guarantee selection against Mozambique

Eric Chelle faced questions regarding his team selection ahead of Nigeria’s crucial AFCON Round of 16 clash against Mozambique on Monday.

The conversation surrounding his rotation at the tournament so far, comes after Nigeria's dominant 3–1 win over Uganda in the final group game, where a heavily rotated side impressed.

Chelle handed debuts to Ryan Alebiosu, Igoh Ogbu, Tochukwu Nnadi, and Salim Lawal, while recalled stars like Paul Onuachu and Raphael Onyedika—who netted a brace, stole the headlines.

While fans and pundits are calling for the "Uganda heroes" to keep their places, Chelle maintains that reputation and past games count for little compared to current work on the training pitch.

“We looked at the three games from the group stage, but the training session is the most important one,” Chelle stated during his pre-match press conference.

“The training session matters more to me because this is a question about the group. If a player has a good training session, they might get a chance to play.”

Nigeria entered the knockout phase with a perfect record after sweeping aside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. However, with the stakes rising, Chelle emphasised that his focus remains on the "collective project" rather than individual hype.

“That’s why every time I mention that we are focused on our game project and on our training session,” he added.

“I hope to have a good game tomorrow.”

The Super Eagles are strong favourites to advance, but Mozambique, who reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history, will provide a stern test at the Stade de Fès.