International Friendly: Super Eagles Set To Strike Mambas As World Cup Race Beckons

After conceding a last-minute aim that tied their encounter with Saudi Arabia 2-2 in Portimäo on Friday, the Tremendous Eagles are decided to earn a win over the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday to be able to have a constructive mindset forward of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in opposition to Lesotho and Zimbabwe subsequent month.

Ahead Kelechi Iheanacho, who modified the tenor of the sport and netted a spectacular second aim in opposition to the Inexperienced Falcons, is not going to be out there to Coach Jose Peseiro on Monday having left the camp to attend to private issues.

Additionally unavailable is Ballon d’Or Dozen-shortlister Victor Osimhen, who’s nursing a hamstring harm.

But, Peseiro is bullish forward of the encounter, insisting he has a clutch of forwards who can ship packing the southern Africans of their solely fifth-ever conflict with Nigeria at senior stage.

“We’ll miss Kelechi and Victor, however we have now different good gamers who could make Nigeria proud. I have a look at the bench and see gamers who can step up and take their possibilities.”

The conflict with the Mambas is the final gathering for the three-time African champions earlier than the race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, wherein they host the Crocodiles of Lesotho after which fly to play Zimbabwe’s Warriors away, all inside a number of days in November.

Within the absence of Iheanacho and Osimhen, Peseiro should solid his lot with Terem Moffi, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Moses Simon, and hope that Alex Iwobi involves the get together in his playmaking function to provide ammunition to the forwards.

Defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Jordan Torunarigha and Chidozie Awaziem, and midfielders Frank Onyeka, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika didn’t style motion in opposition to the Saudis, and will show to be Peseiro’s aces in opposition to the Mambas on the Estadio Municipal de Portimäo on Monday.

Nigeria and Mozambique have met 4 occasions at senior stage, with the Tremendous Eagles successful a pleasant match in Maputo by a lone aim, earlier than home-and-away 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches that stay recent within the reminiscence until this present day.

Mambas’ ahead ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane proved a thorn in Nigeria’s flesh within the first encounter in Maputo that ended scoreless. On the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja in October 2009, it was heading to a different 0-0 scoreline earlier than Yusuf Ayila valiantly rescued an outbound ball that landed on the top of Victor Obinna Nsofor for the one aim of the match. Had the match ended 0-0, Nigeria would have been eradicated from the race to the primary FIFA World Cup on African soil.

Few months later, on the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola, the Eagles spanked the Mambas 3-0 in Lubango to qualify for the match’s quarter finals.

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