The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take to the pitch for the first time in almost year when they take on the Desert Foxes of Algeria at the Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt in Austria on Friday.
The match for both sides will be geared towards helping both sides finetune their squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers slated for November.
Ahead of the match, Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr will have a very lean squad to pick from, with high-profile names like Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo pulling out of the match because of various reasons.
Rohr has handed call-ups to six new players, with the likes of Samson Tijani, Frank Onyeka, Chidera Ejuke, Matthew Yakubu, Zaidu Sanusi, and Cyril Dessers. Also, TSH Hoffeinham’s defender, Kevin Akpoguma has been training with the team has gotten the all-clear to switch allegiance from Germany to Nigeria.
For Algeria, Ismael Bennacer, Riyad Mahrez, and Siad Benrahma are the key players to watch out, having played a starring role for their club. Montpellier’s Andy Delort is also expected to be handed a spot in the team.
Head To Head
Nigeria leads the head-to-head record over Algeria nine wins to eight, but they have lost their last two encounters with the reigning African champions.
Coaches:
• Djamel Belmadi (Algeria)
• Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
Date, Time and Venue of the match:
- October 9th, 2020
- 19:30 (West African Time)
- Jacques Lemans Arena, Austria
