Nigeria's U-23 national football team, the Olympic Eagles, will face the Democratic Republic of Congo behind closed doors during the opening leg of their second-round qualifier for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations. The match is officially scheduled to take place at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13.
According to sports reports, decision-makers in the host country mandated that the fixture proceed without fans in attendance as an added security protocol to maintain public safety around the match venue. DR Congo aims to secure a strong home advantage in this initial encounter to ease pressure ahead of the return leg.
What are the details of the return fixture?
The decisive second leg is set to take place at the Remo Stars Stadium located in Ikenne, Ogun State, on Tuesday, November 17. The aggregate winner across both legs of this qualifying tie will advance to the third round, where they will face the victor of the fixture between Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.