BY OLUKAYODE THOMAS (ABUJA) AND GOWON AKPODONOR (LAGOS)

The make or mar match in Abuja kicks off at 3p.m.

In fact Nigeria is not only praying for Super Eagles' victory over the Warriors of Zimbabwe, they are also in supplication that Rwanda should beat Angola,group contestants for the top spot.

Nigeria and Angola have the same number of points, 18 points, but Angola both have a better head-to-head lead with its victory over Nigeria in Luanda and the draw against the Super Eagles in Kano.

So victory for the Eagles will count for nothing unless Angola lose or draw in Kigali. For Coach Austin Eguavoen, handler of the Super Eagles, what matters most now is the victory Nigeria against Zimbabwe today.

"I expect that Rwanda should beat Angola in Kigali because home record favours the host country (Rwanda). They have not lost at home since the World Cup qualifiers began last year. They have a good team that can turn the heat on Angola, but what is important to me is to get the three points against Zimbabwe. I don't expect an easy match against the Zimbabweans, but I have the belief that my players will deliver the three points at stake," he said.

Immediate past Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Coach Kashinmawo Laloko, will certainly not be among thousands of soccer fans who will be in Abuja this afternoon to cheer the Super Eagles in the last World Cup qualifier against the Zimbabwean team.

And it is Not that Laloko is afraid of being lynched by Abuja soccer fans should the Eagles fail to beat Zimbabwe, but that he considers the encounter too frightening to watch live.

"Three things are likely to happen on Saturday (today). Many Nigerians are looking forward to see the Eagles beat Zimbabwe, which is normal. On the other hand, we are all praying that Angola should drop a point in their clash against Rwanda in Kigali, which is seeking divine intervention. But most importantly, I feel that the Zimbabwean Warriors should not be underrated. Anybody who thinks that the Zimbabweans will be a pushover should better think twice. We have a big task ahead of us and I feel frightened anytime I think of going to Abuja to watch the match", Laloko said.

The Group Four ticket, he said, could go either way. "Let us analyse it one after the other," he stressed. "The Angolans are ahead of Nigeria at the moment because of FIFA's head-to-head-rule. If it were to be the old rule of goals difference, Nigeria should be leading. Both countries have 18 points from the same number of matches. The Zimbabweans have 15 points and their mission to Abuja is to play the game of their life to get the three points so as to hit the same level with Angola and Nigeria. The Zimbabweans are equally praying for big calamity to befall Angola in far away Kigali. "

"Now, if God should listen to Zimbabwe's prayer, it means the situation has changed. Angola has a better head-to-head against Nigeria courtesy of the 1-1 draw in Kano. Unless the Zimbabwean Warriors are able to beat the Super Eagles with 4-0 in Abuja, which I think is not possible, Nigeria still has a better head-to-head against them. And the Zimbabweans have a better head-to-head against Angola.

"So, you can see why I said that the situation is frightening. In any case, I expect the Eagles to win in Abuja while we all wait for the result in Kigali. Our hope is in the hand of God."

For Rwanda Coach Roger Palmgren, today's match against Angola is a must win because soccer fans in the country are intrigued over his position as the Amavubi senior coach after managing only a solitary victory in the on- going 2006 World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations in their group.

Palmgren, they argue, has to prove his worth by snatching at least a draw against Angola and perhaps save the Super Eagles from losing out on their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance since 1994.

Nigeria, the Rwanda fans posit, has been one of the regular African representatives at the World Cup finals and the country's team's good display has earned Africa a place in world football.

So the Amavubi-Angolan clash is a decisive game not only to the Angolans but also to the Amavubi tactician, as he tries to avoid being taunted as a mediocre. The match will also enhance his country's position in the FIFA soccer rankings from 126.

Amavubi's humiliation in Gabon and Zimbabwe a fortnight ago does not put Palmgren as the right man to handle the senior national team, whose focus now should be on the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. .

Angola's qualification for the 2006 Germany world cup depends solely on the players themselves, as "Nigeria is a settled matter," said the former chairman of the Angolan Football Federation (FAF), Armando Machado.

Speaking to ANGOP, Machado called on the players and coaching crew to forget about Nigeria`s lobbying around the qualifier for the Germany 2006.

Angolan Sports and Youth Minister, Marcos Barrica, also affirmed yesterday in Luanda that the local authorities are not worried about the alleged lobbying by Nigeria to make it difficult for his national soccer team to qualify for the World Cup, stressing that it is on the field that the results are determined.

Barrica, who is also the head of the Angolan delegation to Rwanda, said at the "4 de Fevereiro"International Airport, shortly before departing to Kigali, that the responsibility of the team's qualification falls on the players. He said if they play calm, without feeling under pressure, they would reach the world cup for the first time in their soccer history.