FOR Nigeria and Ghana, the football rivalry will not just go away. Tomorrow, both countries set Bamako, the Malian capital, on fire in the quarter-final game of the on-going Nations Cup.

At both camps of the Super Eagles and Black Stars, there are not many smiling faces.

The reason is obvious. A match between both teams is as unpredictable as it arouses consuming passion among their distinct supporters. The tension in the two camps, thus, overwhelms.

Between coaches Shuaibu Amodu and Ghana’s Osam Doudou, silence could be golden this time. Both prefer to keep their battle plans close to their chests.

"We know ourselves pretty well," Amodu volunteered. "So, it’s not an occasion to talk much.

"The best we can do is to concentrate and get the players to have proper focus. When the time comes, you will see our plans.

"There may be one or two adjustments, but don’t expect anything drastic or radical. We are set for Ghana, just as we appreciate that they are also looking up to this tie," Amodu noted.

For Doudou, there is hardly anything to hide at the moment. "We’ve all watched ourselves here. So, we know your players as you know ours. Nobody is going to the Mars to import players at this stage.

"The competition gets keener as it progresses. Asking me about my match plans will hardly be of any benefit to whatever is your purpose," Doudou told Weekend Sports.

Rather, we should wait till Sunday (tomorrow) and then see what both nations have in stock for each other.

"One thing that you ought to know is that any match between Nigeria and Ghana generates a lot of interest and tension. This one won’t be different."

The two men have two terrors in attack to rely on. Amodu can count on Julius Aghahowa who celebrates his 20th birthday tomorrow and needs "this birthday present" from his team-mates badly.

Isaac Boahye, Wednesday, proved to be a super-sub when he came from the bench to snatch a late rally winner that gave Ghana a 2-1 win and a ticket to the quarter. He will earn more minutes in tomorrow’s tie.

Kanu Nwankwo is another striking pearl whose deft touches and precise passes have been of great value to the Eagles.

Can Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Garba Lawal and Austin Okocha take over the mid-field and dictate proceedings?

The last time both teams met, Eagles triumphed 3-0. But it was Nigeria’s last World Cup match which the Ghanaians had nothing at stake.

Prior to that, the star-loaded foreign legion of Nigeria ended it goalless in Ghana against a home-based squad chosen to make a statement to their professionals.

Who triumphs tomorrow? This is one question that people shy away from predicting even if Eagles, on paper, appear the more favoured.