The first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Stanley Nwabali has more or less confirmed his availability for the quarter final game against Angola at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nwabali had his first real training session with the team yesterday ahead of the game putting to rest speculations about his availability for the game, less than two hours after coach Jose Peseiro said he will undergo a fitness test.

Peseiro spoke about the fact that his availability for the game is dependent on how he survives the training session alongside the other two goalkeepers in the team namely Francis Uzoho and Olorunleke Ojo.

Uzoho who is the second choice goalkeeper was clearly ahead of the others in terms of saves made and reflex. So good was he that the technical crew had a meeting on if he should be returned as first choice with Nwabali only having one training session since the game against Cameroon.

However it seems the decision on who will start has been made already by the coaches based on what Nwabali posted on his WhatsApp status using his official line. ” Guess who is back? 23″, he posted.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria will play tomorrow’s quarter final game without two players who have always made the matchday squad for all of their games so far at the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

They had their final training session today ahead of the game against Angola tomorrow and all but two players took part in the session which was handled by head coach Jose Peseiro and the rest of the technical crew.

Tactical and technical drills were held in preparation for the game with emphasis heavy on maintaining their defence solidity that has seen them keep three clean sheets in four games so far at the tournament, it includes not conceding in their last three consecutive games.

Peseiro was without two players in the captain of the team Ahmed Musa and high flying full back Bright Osayi-Samuel, who started the 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in the final group game and was subbed on in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea on matchday one.

Both players won’t be part of the team, but the duo of William Troost-Ekong and Stanley Nwabali who were all injury doubt in the build up to the game took part in the entire session. Zaidu Sanusi was also present from start to finish.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says his team won’t change the formation that has brought them this far at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Peseiro’s team started the tournament playing with a 4-3-3- formation in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea, but since that game the team has now stuck with the 3-4-3 formation and it has helped being stability to the defence of the team.

An apostle of 4-2-4 his decision to switch to a more defensive formation was questioned at the pre match conference ahead of tomorrow’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter final game against Angola, he defended the idea by saying tournament football isn’t about winning in style but winning by any means legal and necessary.

” If we win the match in our own way is better for us. No need to change the 3-4-3 formation. Play your strategy & win the game. The most important thing  in tournament like AFCON is result”, the Portuguese coach said.

“We want to prevent Angola from scoring goals tomorrow but that doesn’t mean we won’t keep to play our way and style of football. We create more chances and that’s good for our team but we must be very careful against a side like Angola.”

Per reports he will likely stick with the same set of players who secured the 2-0 win over Cameroon in his starting lineup barring any late change or injury enforced decision.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The instructions of the head coach of the senior national team of Jose Peseiro is why Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi isn’t sparkling as a creative played at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Now playing as part of a two man midfield alongside Frank Onyeka, the nephew of legendary Nigerian forward Austine Okocha is a versatile player, who can play in several roles including on the flanks but he has played as a midfielder so far at the tournament.

Iwobi was seen as the creative outlet of the team going into the tournament but he has no assist so far despite playing in all of their four games at the tournament. He started in all but one of the games which was the final group game against Guinea-Bissau.

Ahead of the quarter final game against Angola, he accompanied the head coach Jose Peseiro to the pre match conference and revealed how a change in the role he has now has limited his impact higher up the pitch.

“I have been told to keep the ball and help them team. We already have enough creativity upfront. I am satisfied with doing what will help the team, & that’s all that matters”, he explained.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says first choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali will undergo a fitness test today that will determine his availability for the quarter final game against Angola, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The goalkeeper was subbed off against Cameroon with what the medical team said is a mild ligament damage, but he hasn’t shaken it off completely despite claims that he is fit and back in full training.

Nwabali has risen to the role of first choice goalkeeper at the tournament starting in all four or Nigeria’s game conceding just one goal so far, which was in the opening game against Equatorial Guinea. His current status is why there is so much news around his availability for the game tomorrow.

Confirming his fitness status, Peseiro said at the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game that the Chippa United goalkeeper will undergo a fitness test later today, saying if he fails to make it then he has absolute faith in erstwhile first choice goalkeeper Francis Uzoho to do the job against the Palancas Negras.

“We will take the final test and training today, if he(Nwabali) can’t play. I will play Francis Uzoho as I have confidence in all of my goalkeepers, he said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

French Ligue 1 side Nice have completed the signing of highly talented Nigerian forward Victor Orakpo from Nigeria based football academy VOE for a fee reportedly in the region of €1.3m, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

The recently turned 18 year old caught the attention of all of Europe with a five star performance at the Bayern Munich world tournament, where he was voted the best player of the tournament leading to speculations that he could be signed up by the Bavarians.

However that didn’t materialize and he is expected to put pen to paper on a deal till the summer of 2027 after a routine medical, which is expected to take place later today.  He came to our attention in July during the Bayern Munich worldwide scouting tournament, which was held in Argentina in July last year.

Orakpo scored winner against River Plate and also against Argentina Juniors during their stay in Argentina. He followed it up with another goal in their only test game in Germany, which they won 4-0 against KSV Hessen Kassel youth team.

Nice had him around for physical evaluation and test games and he showed his strength which is his hold up play , finishing ability and also pace.

Daniel Martins

The first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Stanley Nwabali has passed himself fit ahead of their quarter final game at the Africa Cup of Nations against Angola, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nwabali was subbed off with an injury in the 2-0 win over Cameroon and scans showed he won’t be fit enough to play on Friday and possibly the rest of the tournament just like we reported earlier today.

However a video released by y the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which has now gone viral had him in training with the team, but a member of the medical team revealed in an exclusive chat that he only has a fitness test on his insistence as against the medical advice given to him after the result of the scan.

” What you saw in the video is a fitness test and not full training that is why he was alone. The other goalkeepers were drilled separately, so it’s wrong to say he trained fully. Our decision will be made after analysis on his condition after today’s test”, a member of the medical team told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

” Life is a learning curve and after the incident with Sadiq Umar when a player says he is fit to play and wants to play the surest thing is a fitness test. He came through today, so let’s see him again and again because the scan result didn’t help at all.

” He (Nwabali) said he isn’t in much pain and we had to listen to him. Professionally we will do what is best because if he aggravates it then there is a tendency that he might miss the rest of the year”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

A member of the medical team of the Super Eagles says the viral video of injured goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali in training isn’t enough to say he will be available in goal on Friday against Angola, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Nwabali was injured in the Super Eagles 2-0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16 making him a huge doubt for the quarter final game against Angola. He had a scan which confirmed that he had mild damage to his knee ligament.

As we earlier reported, the initial decision taken by doctors is to rule him out of the game on Friday but left the door slightly open for him to be a part of the team for the game, if he passes a fitness test which was what was held today in the viral video released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

” What you saw in the video is a fitness test and not full training that is why he was alone. The other goalkeepers were drilled separately, so it’s wrong to say he trained fully. Our decision will be made after analysis on his condition after today’s test”, a member of the medical team told OwnGoalNigeria.com in an exclusive chat.

” Life is a learning curve and after the incident with Sadiq Umar when a player says he is fit to play and wants to play the surest thing is a fitness test. He came through today, so let’s see him again and again because the scan result didn’t help at all.

” He (Nwabali) said he isn’t in much pain and we had to listen to him. Professionally we will do what is best because if he aggravates it then there is a tendency that he might miss the rest of the year”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The camp of the senior national team of Nigeria is currently sweating on the fitness of three key players ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations quarter final game against Angola on Friday, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Yesterday was their first major training session ahead of the game after a two day break . Head coach Jose Peseiro led the session which had all but one of the players available in Stanley Nwabali, who trained separately from the rest of the squad as he continue to recover from the knock he sustained against Cameroon in the round of 16.

Nwabali like we exclusively reported is now ruled out of the game, and there are still uncertainty surrounding the availability of two other players per what we exclusively gathered from the camp of the team.

Captain of the team William Troost-Ekong played through the pain barrier against Cameroonian and will now be managed and assessed ahead of the Angola game. Yesterday he took part in the recovery session with a strap around his thigh and knee.

Zaidu Sanusi is another whose inclusion for the game against Angola is in doubt with his fitness not yet at top speed. Although he is likely to be fit for the game, there are signs that just like the game against Cameroon he might not play the entire duration of the game.

A decision on the duo will be clear after Wednesday session per what we gathered.

Ade Emmanuel