Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong and coach Eric Sekou Chelle both admit the Super Eagles will need a miracle to qualify for next year's World Cup, but they insist that miracle is one that they have earned through hard work and self-belief.
Heading into the final round of Group C qualifiers on Tuesday, Nigeria, Benin, and South Africa are locked in a tense battle for the group's single World Cup ticket.
The Super Eagles must beat Benin at home and hope South Africa fail to defeat Rwanda in Johannesburg, a game that kicks off at the same time.
"Do we need a miracle? Anything is possible," Troost-Ekong said at the pre-game press conference. "But the only reason it's been like that is because we've worked for it. It's not been easy, and we'll give it our best shot.
"Hopefully, there will be enough for us to qualify. All of us want to be there. This is our life, this is our history we are trying to create. We all want to be at the World Cup so badly. The only thing we can control is to give our best game and take it minute by minute."
Troost-Ekong, who will win his 83rd cap on Tuesday after making his debut under the late Stephen Keshi in 2015, said the team have been through the wringer so many times and understand the challenge ahead of them but will continue to believe in themselves.
He continued: "It isn't one hundred percent in our hands. But it hasn't been for the last year, maybe. Every time, we try to control what we can control, and it is going to be a great game here at home, which is always a special place.
"From these qualifications, from the games that I have been part of, it has always been an uphill fight, swimming against the stream. I have sat here and told everyone that I believe we can qualify for the World Cup.
"The opportunity is still there, and we have managed to bring it here, which I believe is a lot of hard work. We're going into this last game trying to give our best, and whatever happens, we will make peace with that."
Even as Super Eagles fans will nervously monitor South Africa's match, the captain said the players can't afford distractions.
"I'm sure we will hear from the crowd what is going on in the other game," he said. "But when you are on the pitch and the whistle goes, it's like everything else blocks out. The only time you enjoy those moments is when a goal is scored, and I hope there are a lot of those moments, for us."
Chelle echoed his captain's faith, with a little bit of realism thrown in: "Football is like life. If you want something and you work hard, football will give you what you want.
"Sometimes it is not immediately, maybe one month or two months, but if you believe in something and you work hard, football will give you the miracle. For now, for sure, we need to have it when we play Benin."
The coach, who took charge midway through the campaign after a poor start, said the team's mental strength will be key and it would be his responsibility to keep that moral motivation up.
"This is a question of state of mind," Chelle said. "Every game these guys are under pressure. My job now is to bring a positive mindset, to relax the players and to find the best solution."
Nigeria's preparation ran into a hitch when their aircraft had to make an emergency return to Luanda after stopping to refuel because of a cracked windshield. The delay set them back by at least a day, and both coach and captain acknowledged the disruption impacted their preparation but are already working through it.
"We had to catch up with a lot of sleep yesterday after the flight disruption," Troost-Ekong said. "This is the opportunity of our lives, and for some of us, it won't come again.
"You need pressure to get the best out of someone, but you also need calmness. That comes from understanding that we have to do it together and trust our own ability."