Nigeria coach Justin Madugu is banking on his team’s experience as they prepare to face Morocco in Saturday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final, refusing to be overawed by his World Cup-winning counterpart.

Madugu will go up against Jorge Vilda, who led Spain to the 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph, but the Nigerian tactician insists he is sticking to his game plan.

“We know it’s not just going to be about going out on the pitch and playing; we must prepare for every scenario. We are fully aware of that. Experience has taught us many things,” Madugu told Friday’s pre-final press conference.

“We have our own game plans and we are sticking to our game plan, but also we know what we can expect from (the Morocco coach) tomorrow. I hope that the omen of never having lost a previous final continues tomorrow; however, we know all these scenarios are always different.”

The Super Falcons have won a record nine WAFCON titles and never lost a previous final – a statistic Madugu hopes will continue.

“We believe in ourselves, we believe in our players, we trust what we are doing, and we’ll stick to our game plan,” he continued.

“When you play in games like this, they always come with pressure, but you also have the desire, given that you’ve got to the final, that you really want to make it and you are going hard to try and get to where you want to be, the dream of carrying that trophy.”