Cheetahs of Benin coach, Gernot Rohr, has admitted that Super Eagles under interim coach, Austin Eguavoen can be a difficult team to beat than with a new coach after all.

Eguavoen at the weekend was yet again handed the reins of the Super Eagles after German coach Bruno Labbadia controversially opted out of the contract talk that would have made him the 37th man to lead the three-time African champions.

As a result, Eguavoen who is the technical Director of Nigeria Football Federation was asked to take charge of the Super Eagles for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin Republic in Uyo this Saturday and next Tuesday against Rwanda in Kigali.

It will be Eguavoen’s fourth stint in charge of the Super Eagles after earlier experiences in 2005-2007, 2010 and 2022.

Incidentally, Eguavoen’s last romance with the Super Eagles, between December 2021 and February 2022, ended in tears as he failed to qualify Nigeria for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, after losing on the away-goal rule to the Black Stars of Ghana in the Africa Final playoff, as well as at the delayed 2021 AFCON in Cameroun, where the Super Eagles flattered to deceive as they lost to Tunisia in the Second Round despite being the only team that won its opening three preliminary group matches.

Speaking ahead of the Nigeria versus Benin game in Uyo on Saturday, Rohr said he was not oblivious of the circumstances behind the handing of the Super Eagles over to Eguavoen , adding that the former national team captain can rev up his wards in order to grind results against Benin and Rwanda.

“I think Eguavoen knows them (the Super Eagles) better than a new coach,” Rohr, who has managed other Africa’s national teams including Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon, said.

He added that Eguavoen’s past failings with the Super Eagles would have little or no bearing on this weekend encounter against the visiting Beninese side.

“He surely must have learned from the two eliminations (for Qatar 2022 and AFCON 2021) and, perhaps, his team could be more dangerous to deal with,” the 71-year-old former Bordeaux trainer, who led The Cheetahs to their historic first official victory over Nigeria last June in Abidjan, noted. (The Nation)

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