The Super Eagles’ preparations for Thursday’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone got a boost on Sunday as Victor Osimhen, Sadiq Umar and Ademola Lookman trained with the rest of the team in Abuja.
Nigeria’s Friendly matches against Mexico and against Ecuador in the United States kick-started the preparations as the country’s race to make her 20th appearance at the continental football showpiece holding in Ivory Coast next year gets underway.
Only three of the 27 invited players; Calvin Bassey, Joseph Ayodele-Aribo, both of whom featured in the friendly games in the US, and Abdullahi Shehu, who returned to the country last week from his base in Cyprus, were not part of Sunday’s training.
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Technical Adviser José Santos Peseiro took charge of the training and captain Ahmed Musa led the playing body that included goalkeepers; Francis Uzoho, Adewale Adeyinka and Adebayo Adeleye, and defenders Olaoluwa Aina, William Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi, Chidozie Awaziem, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi, Leon Balogun, Sani Faisal and Kenneth Omeruo were also in the training session.
There were also midfielders; Alex Iwobi, Oghenekaro Etebo, Innocent Bonke and Frank Onyeka, and forwards Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, Cyriel Dessers, Ademola Lookman, Sadiq Umar, Terem Moffi and Emmanuel Dennis in action.
Peseiro also used the opportunity to meet and familiarize with players who were unable to make it to the United States for the friendlies. They are: skipper Musa, Sanusi Balogun, Etebo, Chukwueze, Umar and Lookman, Onyeka, Osimhen and Adeleye all of whom who were not invited to the friendlies in America but have been called for the AFCON qualifiers.
The Eagles will face the Leone Stars at the Moshood Abiola national stadium on Thursday in their first Group A game of the qualifiers, before flying to Marrakech, Morocco, on Saturday, for the clash against São Tomé and Príncipe that will take place on June 13.
13 Comments
Calvin bassey and aribo have played too many games this season and they honoured the call to play the friendly in the US.. they deserve some rest to keep them fresh.. as for shehu I wonder why he was even called for the games in the first place..
Ololo if you rest Bassey who will you replace him with a crucial World Cup Qualifier! is the 22 year old complaining?.
Rest during training not in the matches like the coach probably did yesterday
LMFAO!!!
FOOL!!!
What WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS are you talking about??
@MONKEY POST I mean AFCON Qualifier My Bad!. @Ololo I see your point. But that boy na machine.
But why do you guys keep on replying to ghanains on here and encouraging their slime on hallowed Nigerian soil??
Mr Iwunze, are you not aware that this monkey is a ghanian?
Is it not you guys who are always complaining about ghanain impostors causing bad smells here? So why do you always reply to a jobless lifeless ghanain who is always liming around like the snake he is among us Nigerians and yet you guys continue to entertain and encourage the dog.
Please let us try and do the necessary to get rid of these ghanian pests, that will not happen until you guys start to completely ignore the bastards.
My wife is miss Asanti Kotoko. Who is your wife? Toilet is better than you. You have the IQ of toilet paper. GHANABOKOM BASTARD.
LMFAO!!
So because I SCOLDED someone that’s trying to MISINFORM the PUBLIC makes me a GHANIAN??
SMH…
Selfmade pupu, toilet is better than you. I am your mentor. Ghana is a cesspool. See your shit hole. GHANABOKOM BASTARD. You have the IQ of a pig.
https://youtu.be/OazUbS59NYI
Nigeria will surely win with not less than 3 goals.
WAO!!! Like play like play Bassey has cemented his place in the SE. i am so happy for him
Really happy for him.. I just hope he is consistent and keep improving!!
God is on our side this time. The house is full, and l am very delighted and upbeat. l wish Amoo wasn’t injured. Also, Paul Onuachu wasn’t here too. However, Sierra Leone will bear the brunt of Nigeria anger for not playing in the World Cup this year.