Chelle acknowledged the importance of the match during Monday’s pre-game press conference, characterizing it as a meeting between two of Africa’s biggest footballing powers.

“This is a match between Senegal and Nigeria, two major African football nations, but I’m not sure if it’s a derby,” he remarked.

They have a long history together. Over the years, they have both produced outstanding teams and generations, and this game is sure to be fantastic.

The reigning champions, Senegal, will take on a Nigerian team making their tournament comeback for the first time since 2018 to start their championship defense.

Chelle is confident in the effort done behind the scenes, having guided his team through a rigorous four-week training camp.

“We are prepared to play this first game and to put all of the work we have done over the last four weeks into practice,” he said.

Nigeria and Senegal will play their first-ever CHAN encounter on Tuesday at the Amaan Stadium.

The Teranga Lions have won all ten of their CHAN games in regulation time and have never lost to a West African team in the competition’s open play.

However, with 25 goals in their 15 CHAN appearances, the Super Eagles B are renowned for their offensive flair.

Nigeria has demonstrated the ability to make deep runs despite their past patchy performance in their group openers, as evidenced by their third-place finish in 2014 and runners-up finish in 2018.

This will be the first time Nigeria face a reigning CHAN champion since the 2018 final, when they suffered a 4–0 defeat to Morocco, and a positive result against Senegal would not only boost their confidence but potentially signal a changing of the guard in West African football.

Senegal, meanwhile, is looking to maintain their defensive supremacy and increase their winning streak in regulation time to 11 games at the CHAN.