Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos admits Nigeria has steadily improved at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ahead of their semi-final showdown in Bouake on Wednesday.
Nigeria came into the tournament in disarray with bonus rows and reports of non-payments with head coach José Peseiro, added to their indifferent start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers where they drew with Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
Their warm-up game against Guinea saw them on the losing side and since the 1-1 draw to Equatorial Guinea in their Group A opener, the Portuguese coach changed his tactical system to a back-three, which has seen them win four games in a row without conceding.
“I think Nigeria is a team that has become better and better [throughout the competition] when I saw them [against Angola] I saw a very good team, with a very good striker, a few good players,” Broos said.
“Lookman, the one who scored the goal, very good player, so we have to analyse a bit more because we didn’t have the time [before the quarter-final]. We know now that it’s us in the semi-finals – so we’ll analyse as soon as we can and see how we can use their weaknesses in the team but also be aware of the qualities they have.
“It’s special for both teams, in a few months we play against each other for the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, so it can be a test for both of us.”
The game will kick off at the Peace Stadium of Bouaké on Wednesday at 19h00.
