LIVE stream: Nigeria vs Congo on September 6, 2014 - AFCON 2015 Qualifiers

Topics: Live Stream, TV Schedules, Live Scores, TV Listings, Nigeria, Congo, 2015 AFCON Qualifiers

Reigning African Cup of Nations champions Nigeria kick off their title defense by taking on Congo on Saturday, September 6.

On paper at least, Nigeria looks like the clear favorites against visitors Congo. The Super Eagles, who are the reigning AFCON champions will welcome the Diables Rouges, whose last appearance in the continental competition was over a decade ago, when they were knocked out in the first round.

However, despite having won three titles versus their opponents' sole triumph back in 1972, this is currently a worrying time for head coach Stephen Keshi. Not only is the country's football federation presently embroiled in a scandal involving the government and FIFA, but also he faces issues concerning some of his key personnel as well.

Without delving into too much detail, FIFA had suspended the Nigerian Football Federation shortly after the team's participation in this year's World Cup due to interference from the government. As of now, that suspension has been lifted, but only temporarily as Nigeria only has a limited amount of time to get things right or will face further sanctions.

To make matters worse, captain Vincent Eneyama will miss the match due to what his coach described as personal reasons, while Keshi himself had his own troubles, having resigned after the World Cup only to reverse his decision soon after.

As a result, Congo coach Claude Le Roy will hope his side can take advantage of some of the background drama surrounding Nigeria to pull off what would be a shock result should they emerge victorious.

Naturally, this will be easier said than done, but Nigeria's fans will hope their squad will put aside their off-pitch troubles and focus on football for 90 minutes.