The Super Eagles of Nigeria will square up against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in a Group E African Cup of Nations qualifiers match on Saturday, October 13th.
The team didn’t start their qualifying campaign on a good note, as they lost to the South African National team in their first game, but they redeemed themselves after pummeling the Seychelles national team by 3-0 in their last group match.
However, the match against the Libyan’s is set to be the hardest nut to crack for Nigeria, as the North African Nation will hope to get a step closer to making their fourth appearance at Africa’s biggest continental showpiece, having last qualified in 2012.
Nigeria’s coach, Gernot Rohr, is set to welcome back the likes of Alex Iwobi and William Troost-Ekong to the squad after both players missed out in the win against Seychelles.
Also, Levante’s winger, Moses Simon who missed out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup is back into the fold, but Captain of the side, John Obi Mikel will not be part of the team, as Rohr claims he lacks match fitness.
The Libyans have been hit with a quandary during the course of the week, as their head coach Adel Amrouche quit his post. Nonetheless, Omar Al-Miryami the local coach who Amrouche replaced in May is in line to lead the team out on Saturday.
Despite the problems facing the team, the Mediterranean Knights will still fancy their chances against the Super Eagles when they face them, with the team known for its notorious stubbornness, organizational skills and brittleness anytime they take to the pitch
Libya top Group E with four points from one win and a draw from their opening two games in the qualifiers.
The group stage of Africa Cup of Nations started in June last year and only the top teams and the three best runners-up from the 12 groups will join host Cameroon in the finals in 2019.
Fact: The only time Nigeria lost to the Libyans at senior level came in the LG Cup Four Nations Tournament in 2004. The Libyans won by 2-0.
Coaches:
• Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
• Omar Al-Miryami (Libya)
Head to Head clash:
- Nigeria won 2
- Libya won 1
- Drawn Games 0
Date, Time and Venue of the match:
- October 13th, 2018
- 4:00pm
- Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
