Saturday, October 11, 2014
AFCON Qualifier : Sudan Vs Nigeria On 11th October, 2014 - Sports
The super eagles will look to get all 3 points
under difficult conditions in omdurman, Sudan.
It's the 2nd round of qualifiers for Morocco 2015
The Eagles will be without Stoke City forward
Victor
Moses, who has suffered a recurrence of a thigh
problem
at his English Premier League club, and Ukraine-
based
winger Babatunde Michael, who is nursing a knee
injury.
Questions rather than praise have greeted Keshi’s
invitation for several uncapped players including
China-
based striker Aaron Samuel and Reading
midfielder Hope
Akpan.
However, skipper Vincent Enyeama has rejoined
the squad
after he stayed away to attend to what team
officials said
were “pressing personal problems”.
Star-studded Nigeria will also have to cope with
boiling
temperatures and a late switch for the game to
be played
on an artificial pitch in Sudan.
“Personally, I prefer playing on a natural grass
pitch, but
we just have to adjust, be smarter and work on
our timing
when we play on astro turf and we will be okay,”
said
Monaco defender Elderson Echiejile, who will be
visiting
Sudan for the first time.
“And as for the weather, we are first and foremost
Nigerians and born in Africa and so we should
also be able
to cope on the day.”
Middlesbrough defender Kenneth Omeruo said
there will
be no margin for error against Sudan in both
games
"We are aware of the task ahead and so we have
resolved
to work hard to pick the available 12 points in our
remaining qualifiers,” said Omeruo
"The response of the players from the first day of
training
speaks loud of our intention ahead of the games.
All we
ask of Nigerians is their support.
“We also know there are no minnows anymore in
African
football."
Both countries have clashed 11 times and Nigeria
have
won six of these meetings, drawn four times and
lost once
to the Sudanese.
The only Nigeria loss to Sudan was in was in
1963, when
they fell 4-0 in a 1964 Nations Cup qualifier, while
the last
meeting was in a friendly in 2008 which Nigeria
won 2-0.
Nigeria ran away 4-0 winners on their last visit to
Sudan in
a 2002 World Cup qualifier 13 years ago with
Yakubu
Aiyegbeni grabbing a brace