Madagascar midfielder Rayan Raveloson, who plays his club football in Turkey, insists the Barea will not be intimidated by the Super Eagles when the two sides meet on Friday in Uyo for their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.
Raveloson and his teammates touched down in Nigeria on Monday, getting settled in before the arrival of their star-studded hosts, who started landing on Tuesday.
Nigeria will be missing striker Victor Osimhen, who has been ruled out through injury, yet Raveloson, who turns out for Amedspor in the Turkish Super Lig, maintains that Madagascar feels no fear about taking on Nigeria, no matter how many big names are in the Eagles squad.
“Osimhen is a big player, and everyone knows him. We are not scared. It’s football, and they are humans like us. Everyone wants to win, but sometimes you have to lose to learn,” he told Football Temple.
Madagascar, currently 104th in the FIFA rankings, has a squad made up mostly of players plying their trade in Europe’s lower divisions and in African leagues.
The Barea are hoping to bring the momentum from their recent African Nations Championship run, where they finished as finalists, into their AFCON qualifying campaign.
They are aiming to qualify for just their second AFCON tournament, having made their debut in 2019 with a memorable run to the quarter-finals.
They also claimed a famous 2-0 win over Nigeria in the group stage of the 2019 tournament in Egypt.
In their last AFCON qualifying encounter, Nigeria beat Madagascar both home and away during the qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, though the Eagles ultimately missed out on the tournament.
The Madagascar Football Federation named Corentin Martins as head coach in January 2025, with securing qualification for the 2027 AFCON among his main goals.
Following their match against Nigeria on Friday, Madagascar will face Tanzania next week, leaving Martins and his players little time to recover between their first two fixtures.
