Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles travel to Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium on March 21, desperate for a win to reignite their faltering qualification hopes.
For hosts Amavubi, they are determined to secure all three points and strengthen their lead in Group C as they chase a historic first-ever World Cup qualification.
Aware that the West Africans will be aiming for an early goal to boost their chances of victory, the former midfielder outlines how his side can stop the three-time African champions.
"Our biggest strength in the qualifiers so far has been our defensive setup. Against Nigeria, we must maintain our defensive organisation and prevent them from having any opportunity at goal, as that could put us in trouble," Sibomana told Flashscore.
"If they come to attack, I'm fine with that because we have fast, talented players who can capitalise on a team that is pushing forward.
"We are playing at home, and we know what it takes. We are experienced at this stage and will do everything possible to win this game.
"Rwanda haven't lost to them in our last encounters, which proves that this Nigerian side is very beatable, just like we showed the last time we faced them on their home soil."
The East African country enters the crucial tie full of confidence, having defeated Nigeria 2-1 in their last encounter at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
Samuel Chukwueze gave the Super Eagles the lead in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, but Torsten Spittler’s side fought back to secure victory, with goals from Ange Mutsinzi and Innocent Nshuti.
Aside from proving that the result in Uyo was not a fluke, Sibomana insists that the main focus is to achieve the ultimate goal of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.
He continued: "Many of your people (Nigerians) still believe the win in Nigeria was a fluke, but trust me, we will aim to repeat that when we face them again next week in Kigali.
"Also, they have announced a star-studded squad, but that doesn’t scare us, as we have our own superstars who will let their performance on the field do the talking.
"This game will be a huge one for us, and I can already imagine how Amahoro Stadium will be packed with fans cheering Amavubi to victory.
"We’ve never qualified for the FIFA World Cup in our history, and a positive result here will bring us closer to that dream. Nigeria won’t be easy, but we will fight for it from start to finish."
Rwanda failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON scheduled in Morocco and will now have to wait for the 2027 edition to make their second appearance in the African Championship, following their maiden appearance in Tunisia in 2004.
For Sibomana, a place at the World Cup would erase those memories. He added: "It was disappointing that we didn’t qualify despite all the effort we put in.
"Rwanda was close to getting a ticket to Morocco, but it never happened. We’ve moved past that, and securing a World Cup spot would erase those memories.
"If that’s the sacrifice we have to make to achieve it, then so be it."
Coach Spittler is expected to announce his squad for the March World Cup qualifiers in the coming days, with the United States-based duo of Nshuti and Jojea Kwizera set to make the cut, along with La Louviere midfielder Samuel Gueulette.
Four days after facing Nigeria, Rwanda will take on Lesotho, while the Super Eagles will host Zimbabwe’s senior national team in Uyo.
