Speaking ahead of their crunch tie against Bafana Bafana next month, Nigeria boss Finidi George has suggested he has no fear for the upcoming fixture.
On 7 June, the Super Eagles and South Africa will be meeting for the second time within six months, having previously met during the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast back in February.
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Back then, the teams played out to a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes and needed penalties to separate them. Nigeria's Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero that night, saving two penalties in the shootout to win the Man of the Match award.
With the two African nations having a longstanding rivalry on the continent, the new Super Eagles boss has previewed how he and his team will approach the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier next month.
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"We know Nigerians would love the team to win all the time, and we'll just get the players focused on the game, one game at a time," George he said in an interview with Eagle FM.
"We focus on the South African game and see how we can win that one before we talk about the Benin Republic game.
"For me, as a coach, it's either you have a good result, or you don't have a good result.
"One cannot be scared in life.
"Like I said, going through life is difficult, you walk through it with the difficulties that you know you'll encounter.
"So that's how I look at life and approach it that way, and football will not be any different.
"We will do our job and make sure we get the best out of that game, and apart from that, nothing else."
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The two teams will face off in Abuja, Nigeria, in just over two weeks' time.
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