By Daily Sports on November 13, 2019
Views: 914
Nigeria will be aiming to make the perfect start to their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign when they host Benin at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Wednesday evening.
Kick-off is at 6pm.
The Super Eagles will be overriding favourites to progress as Group L winners, as they set their sights on Cameroon a few months after finishing third at the 2019 Afcon showpiece hosted in Egypt.
Head coach Gernot Rohr has named a strong squad for back-to-back qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho, boosted by the return of Ahmed Musa, Kenneth Omeruo, Ola Aina, Samuel Kalu and Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi.
The 66-year-old, though, has expressed his concerns regarding the quick turnaround time between this month's qualifiers, with Nigeria to face Lesotho in Maseru four days after their clash in Uyo, while most of their European-based players would only have arrived in Nigeria by Monday evening.
"Our players from Europe will only get to us a day or two before the first game, so there is no time to adapt to the African conditions," Rohr said.
"After that game on Thursday we travel to Lesotho away on Friday to play on an artificial surface on Sunday. This is not ideal for any team.
"We've spoken to Caf about this but nothing has been done," he concluded.
Apart from claiming bronze in Egypt, Nigeria showcased their powers with encouraging displays in recently friendly internationals against Ukraine and Brazil respectively.
One of the star players to emerge from their post-Afcon success has been Victor Osimhen. The Lille forward has scored nine goals in 17 appearances for the French club across all competitions this season.
Benin will be no pushovers, though, having proved their potential in reaching the quarterfinal stage at Afcon 2019. The Squirrels have been able to keep the core of that team with the experienced Stephan Sessegnon spearheading their charge (SuperSport)
•PHOTO: Super Eagles players
Source Daily Sports
Posted November 13, 2019
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