Flying Eagles coach Abdu Maikaba and defender Musa Wahab are targeting victory against Burkina Faso when Nigeria’s Under-20 side take on the Young Stallions in the final of the WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, on Sunday.

Wahab, the Flying Eagles’ centre-back, said the team is well prepared for the decisive encounter after defeating Ivory Coast 4-3 on penalties in the semi-final, following a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time.

“We are preparing, and we are trying our best to play as a team,” Wahab told Dagashotz. “We are happy and calm. We are hoping for nothing but a win.”

Nigeria booked their place in the final after edging Ivory Coast in the tense semi-final, while Burkina Faso reached the final by defeating Niger Republic.

Sunday’s meeting also gives Nigeria the chance to avenge their group-stage defeat to Burkina Faso, who beat the Flying Eagles 2-0 in their final group game.

The defending champions are seeking to retain the trophy they won in Lome in October 2024, with Sunday’s decider also determining the second team from the WAFU B zone to join hosts Ghana at next year’s Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations finals.

It will be the second meeting between both sides in this year’s competition, having first met in the group stage, where the Young Stallions won 2-0. Nigeria and Burkina Faso also drew 2-2 when they met in Niger Republic in 2022, before the Young Stallions edged the Flying Eagles 1-0 in Lome in 2024.

Maikaba believes his side has the opportunity to avenge that group-stage defeat.

“I think this is an opportunity for us to redeem ourselves having lost to Burkina Faso in the group stage. Having played them before, we now have an idea of their shape and structure, and we are working on how to capitalise on their weaknesses, while also consolidating on our own strength,” he said.

Nigeria won the previous edition of the tournament after beating Ghana in the final, and Wahab and his teammates will be hoping to produce a similarly strong performance to retain the WAFU Zone B crown.

Sunday’s final will be played at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, kicking off at 7pm.