The Super Eagles of Nigeria will do battle against the Albiceleste of Argentina in a Grade A friendly game in Krasnodar, Russia, on Tuesday, November 14th, 2017.
After going through their World Cup qualifying phase unbeaten (amassing a total of 14 points from a possible 18), the Eagles will now look to brush up their preparation for the 2018 World Cup by engaging in the battle of wits against the South American footballing giants.
Both teams have played many memorable matches against each other in the past, with Nigeria having met the Albiceleste in all but one of their six appearances at the FIFA World Cup.
For Nigeria, the game would serve Gernot Rohr as the biggest test for his team since taking charge of the team just over a year ago, as the only team he has played outside the continent of Africa is Corsica.
With some of his key players out of the game due to injury, Rohr would once again count on the players that played out the one all draw against the Algerians in Constantine, with Amkar Perm defender Bryan Idowu joining up with the team from his base in Russia.
Rohr, however, has confirmed that his captain John Obi Mikel will feature in this match after he sat out the Algerian game due to his late arrival in the camp, following a long trip from China.
On the part of the Argentines, this match will be their second friendly game in the space of three days, after putting the Russians to the sword by defeating them by one goal to nil.
Argentina’s coach Jorge Sampaoli will also use this fixture to test his squad’s might against a top African nation, with his team most likely to be drawn against an African team when the draws for the World Cup are made on the 1st of December.
Sampaoli confirmed that his team will rest their captain and top goal scorer, Lionel Messi for the game.
The last time these two teams met in an international game was at the group stages of the 2014 World Cup, with the Argentines triumphing by 3 goals to 2.
Players to Watch:
- John Obi Mikel (Nigeria): Mikel makes the Super Eagles tick anytime he plays, as his calming presence in the middle of the pack, brings control to the team’s play. His vision and passing range can also be a thing of danger for the opposition when he gets into his groove.
- Sergio Aguero (Argentina): The Manchester City forward has already plundered eight goals in the league this season. He also scored in their 1-0 win over the Russians. Aguero has got great pace and can torment any defender with his footwork.
Head to Head clash:
- Nigeria won 1
- Argentina won 5
- Drawn Games 1
Coaches:
- Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
- Jorge Sampaoli (Algeria)
Date, Time and Venue of the match:
- November 14, 2017
- 5:30pm (Nigerian time)
- Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar
