Uzoho has Peseiro’s trust as Nigeria face Lesotho today

Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has backed Francis Uzoho to shine in Nigeria’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho.

The AC Omonia goalkeeper has faced a lot of backlash from fans after conceding some cheap goals in Nigeria’s recent friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique.

Peseiro addressed the media ahead of the game and said he trusts the 25-year-old.

He said, “Uzoho was our number one in qualification.”

“I have faith in our goalkeepers, and I have faith in Uzoho, but I also respect other opinions, including those of the media.

“I know there is too much pressure over the selection of goalkeeper here.”

However, Peseiro also warned Uzoho that he needs to improve or risk losing his spot.

“Everyone knows he made a blunder against Saudi Arabia, and I talked to him and tried to boost his confidence,” Peseiro said.

“When a better goalkeeper than Uzoho can start the match, I will bring him on. I’m not foolish; I will play with the best players.

“I know we don’t tolerate the errors our goalkeeper makes and also the errors our strikers make too, and this is normal in football.

“Sometimes our strikers miss chances, our midfielders make the wrong passes, and sometimes our goalkeeper makes some mistakes.”

Nigeria will take on Lesotho on Thursday (today) at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo before flying to face Zimbabwe on the 19th in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Super Eagles are in Group C with South Africa, Rwanda, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.