Head coach of Nigeria's U-23 national team, Bright Ozebagbe, has expressed confidence in his players ahead of their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying encounter against DR Congo, insisting that the team will allow their performance on the pitch to speak for itself.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Lubumbashi, the Nigeria coach emphasised that football is decided over 90 minutes, stressing that playing at home or away does not automatically determine the outcome of a match.

Ozebagbe noted that consistency across both legs would be crucial, adding that the team capable of delivering strong performances over the two encounters would earn progression to the next round.

Responding to a question about his knowledge of the DR Congo U-23 team, the Ikorodu City FC manager explained that his priority had been preparing his players for the challenge rather than allowing distractions from the opposition to affect their focus.

Meanwhile, DR Congo U-23 head coach Guy Bukasa has declared his ambition to secure a convincing victory over Nigeria and put his side in a strong position to advance to the next qualifying round.

Bukasa drew confidence from his team's performance against Mauritania in the previous round, where DR Congo recovered from a 1-0 first-leg defeat away from home to win the return fixture 2-0 and progress on aggregate.

Although acknowledging Nigeria's quality, the Congolese tactician expressed optimism that his players could make the most of home advantage and the support of their fans to secure an important result.

The first-leg encounter will take place at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, while Nigeria will host the return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

23 Players for Olympic Eagles' Double-Header Against DR Congo

Goalkeepers: Samuel James (SJK FC, Finland); Clinton Andy (Rivers United); Michael Atata (Ikorodu City).

Defenders: Christian Akpan (Genk FC, Belgium); Victory Akpe (FC Basel, Switzerland); Vince Osuji (Tromsø IL FC, Norway); Emmanuel Godwin (Pardubice FC, Czechia); Odinaka Alfred (Nasarawa United); Emmanuel Ochobi (Rivers United); Aliu Sugau (Barau FC).

Midfielders: John Otomewo (Reims FC, France); Daniel Daga (Molde FC, Norway); Wilfred George (Kristiansund FC, Norway); Chibuzor Nwoko (Fulham FC, England); Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City); Sadiq Saleh (FC Metta, Latvia); Victor Samuel (Pardubice FC, Czechia).

Forwards: Peter Edokpolor (SL Benfica, Portugal); Sulaiman Sani (Al-Qadsiah FC, Saudi Arabia); Umar Abubakar (FC Famalicao, Portugal); Zadok Yohanna (Brighton FC, England); Abdullahi Umar (Hradec Kralove, Czechia); Abdulmuiz Adeleke (Sporting Supreme).