Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he will give players who didn’t have enough game time at their clubs opportunity to play Saturday’s friendly encounter against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, reports Completesports.com.
The likes of of Leon Balogun and Kelechi Iheanacho struggled for regular playing time at English Premier League clubs, Brighton Hove & Albion, and Leicester City respectively. And Rohr is ready to start working on their match rustiness.
Balogun only made eight league appearances for Brighton, while Iheanacho started most of Leicester City’s games from the bench.
“I want to see a lot of players who are not playing so much, give them the opportunity to play,” Rohr told reporters after team’s evening training session in Asaba on Monday.
“It can be for some defenders like Balogun, he is fit but he didn’t play so much, so we want to see him playing on Saturday and also some players like Kelechi who didn’t play at all, so we want to see him play on Saturday”.
The three-time African champions opened camping in Asaba, Delta State on Sunday for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations billed to hold in Egypt later this month.
Super Eagles are expected to leave for Ismaila, Egypt on Sunday for the final lap of their preparations.
Rohr’s Eagles’ last pre-tournament friendly is against Senegal, billed for the Ismailia Stadium on June 16.
The Gernot Rohr’s team will get their AFCON 2019 campaign underway against Burundi on June 22 at the Alexandria Stadium in Alexandria, before taking on Guinea at the same venue four days later.
They will wrap up their group encounters against Madagascar, once again in Alexandria, on June 30.
The AFCON 2019 is billed to take place in Egypt from the 21st of June to the 20th of July.
By Adeboye Amosu
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COMMENTS
Contracdition in the piece: “The two-time African champions …” and “The three-time African champions …” appeared, which contracts itself.
The correct one is “The three-time African champions …”, Nigeria having won it in 1980 as host nation with Christian Chukwu – the Chairman – as captain of the then Green Eagles; 1994 in Tunisia having the late Stephen Keshi (blessed memory) as the captain of the Super Eagles; and in 2013 in South Africa having Joseph Yobo as the standing captain and once again Stephen Keshi as the coach.
I hope we will win it again in Egypt!
You guys should be safe over there in Egypt especially walking around tourists locations. Good luck to the team. Respect ✊
Nice one. Give the players who haven’t played much the opportunity to play.