The senior national team of Nigeria has their final training session ahead of today’s AFCON group game against Guinea-Bissau, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Head coach of the team Jose Peseiro was without three of his key players so far at the tournament in the session namely William Troost-Ekong, Alhassan Yusuf and Zaidu Sanusi due to knocks picked up in previous games.

Their absence means a reshuffling of the team that started the last game against Cote d’Ivoire, which they won 1-0 to put themselves in pole position to finish as group winners ahead of today’s game.

At the back, the absence of Ekong and Sanusi will see Kenneth Omeruo, who was a late substitute in the 1-0 win against the host have his first start with Semi Ajayi at the heart of the defence, while Bright Osayi-Samuel will come in at right back with Ola Aina switching to the other flank in the absence of Sanusi.

Joe Aribo is expected to get his first start as well coming in as part of a midfield three alongside the duo of Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka. Kelechi Iheanacho is expected to start as part of a three man attack ahead of Samuel Chukwueze, who started the last game.

He will lead Nigeria’s charge for goals with Ademola Lookman on the left and  Victor Osimhen playing as the central striker.

Starting XI

Stanley Nwabali

Ola Aina

Bright Osayi Samuel

Kenneth Omeruo

Semi Ajayi

Frank Onyeka

Alex Iwobi

Joe Aribo

Kelechi Iheanacho

Ademola Lookman

Victor Osimhen

Ade Emmanuel

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro will make changes to his team that defeated Ivory Coast 1-0 when they take on Guinea-Bissau in their final group game at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro has so far used two different formations in the two games the team has played so far at the tournament, he has also altered his line up for both games. He will repeat the same act in their game against the wild dogs.

One of the areas he will make a decision on is the right wing , where he has started two different players in their first two games of the tournament. Moses Simon started there in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea while Samuel Chukwueze was the man on the right against the Ivorians.

There could be a change in the same position for the third consecutive game with Kelechi Iheanacho who is back to full match fitness expected to take the spot tomorrow. He has played in that role in the last three games he has played for the senior national team of Nigeria.

One thing that is certain is that he will definitely play tomorrow and on the right, but at this time of this report it is unclear if he will start or come in as a substitute. For now Peseiro is pondering on making just two changes to the team that defeated Ivory Coast.

Calvin Bassey could likely drop out for an extra man in midfield likely to be Joe Aribo, who has been sparingly used so far and it is said he is unhappy with his limited game time.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria has praised the role played by two players in the 1-0 win over Cote d’Ivoire ahead of their final group game against Guinea-Bissau, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria will go into the game smarting over their win against the host with their sight on finishing as group winners. A possibility if they beat Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea fail to better their result against Ivory Coast.

Ahead of the game, Peseiro took out time to credit two players for their role in the win over the host, which has put them in a strong position to progress to the round of 16. The coach isn’t resting on his oars ahead of the game tomorrow.

“We have a strategy on how we wanted to play the game against Cote d’Ivoire. I must praise the players for making it work,” the Portuguese tactician noted.

“Without the players it would have been difficult to carry out our plans. They are the ones who make everything work. Chukwueze and Lookman sacrificed a lot in the game. They worked hard to support the defence.

“They are players who love to attack but helped the defence a lot which contributed to our victory.”

Ade Emmanuel

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro hasn’t settled on a formation the team will play in their final group game of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) against Guinea-Bissau, Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria started the tournament with Peseiro’s favorite 4-2-4 formation drawing 1-1 against Equatorial Guinea, but against Cote d’Ivoire they switched to a 3-4-3 formation and got a 1-0 win, which has now put them in pole position to finish as group winners.

Ahead of tomorrow’s game, the coach and the players are torn on the best way to approach the game against Guinea-Bissau. We exclusively gathered that some players want to stick with the 3-4-3 system but the coaches want a return to 4-2-4.

The players feel the formation should be their style henceforth as it will be handy in the knock out stages owing to the stability it gives them at the back. While Peseiro isn’t totally against the idea he feels in games where they are expected to get loads of possession like that of tomorrow, a more attacking approach will be best.

A decision will be reached but it’s likely they go all out from the start of the game, and revert to a more defensive structure based on how the game is going.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria will likely be without three key players when they take on Guinea-Bissau in the final group game of the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will go into the game in search of an outright win which will see them finish as group winners in the event that Equatorial Guinea fail to match their result in their game against the host Ivory Coast.

Ahead of the game, the camp of the Nigerian team is putting all efforts in place to ensure that three players who have been key to the team’s run at the tournament are fit for the game, although coach Jose Peseiro has already ruled one out in Alhassan Yusuf.

Peseiro said he hasn’t trained since he was subbed off in the first game against Equatorial Guinea. He was originally billed to make his return in tomorrow’s game but there are now fears that he could be ruled out of the tournament completely.

Another player at risk of missing the game is Zaidu Sanusi but if he trains unscathed today then he will be certified fit to play in what will be third straight game of the tournament. Another member of the back four William Troost-Ekong is also a doubt in the build up to tomorrow’s game.

Ekong played through the pain barrier in the entire second half of the 1-0 win over Ivory Coast, with what look like a thigh injury picked up in the first half of the game. He will undergo a fitness test today before a decision will be reached on his involvement.

Osas Mahawi

The senior national team of Nigeria will have their hands filled almost immediately after the end of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria are currently campaigning at the tournament taken place in Cote d’Ivoire and will play their final group game against Guinea-Bissau tomorrow, where a win will likely see them finish as group winners ahead of Equatorial Guinea, if they fail to match Super Eagles result.

Plans are already advanced for the team to be engaged after the tournament with an agreement said to have been reached with the senior national team of Argentina for a friendly game in the next international window in March.

Argentina are said to be working out a friendly game with either Nigeria, China or Ghana, but an agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is said to be closer than with any of the above mentioned countries.

Already both parties have agreed for the game to be played in the Japanese city of Yokohama on an agreed date in March. A proper communication will be issued when all modalities and arrangements is finalized per what we exclusively gathered.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

A member of CAF decision making body says the senior national team of Nigeria will be disqualified from the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire if news about the sacking of the board of NFF by a court is true, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

According to a Nigerian online site Insideglasshouse.com, An Appeal Court panel led by Justice Barika together with Justices Okon Abang and Justice Banjoko sacked the NFF Executive Committee  led by Ibrahim Gisau by setting aside and striking out all dubious orders obtained by deceit on September 29, 2022, to conduct the purported NFF illegal election of September 30 in Benin City.

The court struck out all processes concerning the NFF appeal No CA/ABJ/CV/1006/2022 and further ordered that the processes be deleted from all systems of the court forthwith.

Parties in the matter were represented by the following counsels-NFF by Chief Okutepa SAN represented by Peace Omiri and Barrister Arnold from his chambers, while PFAN Task Force was represented by Dr.Celsus Ukpong, Chief Rumson Baribote and Mary Waribo.

The judgement was said to have been passed two days ago and it says all executive board members of the football body led by President Ibrahim Musa Gusau will cease to function in their present capacity after the AFCON.

” Mowiz I saw the link shared on that group on a judgement sacking the NFF board. That amounts to third party interference and saying no action will be taken till after the AFCON isn’t in the power of any one. CAF can decide to throw the Super Eagles out and nothing will happen”, a member of a committee in CAF told OwnGoalNigeria.com‘s editor in chief.

Meanwhile, a board member of the NFF termed the issue as null and void saying it has nothing to do with the legality of the board, rather some aggrieved parties feeding lies to the court in search of relevance.

He said this isn’t the first time something like this has been said of an existing board of the NFF and it won’t be the last before this tenure elapses.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The Super Eagles of Nigeria 1-0 win over Ivory Coast has been played down by a member of the losing side who said they were unfortunate to lose against a Nigerian team who didn’t come to play, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria got their first win of the tournament with William Troost-Ekong converting from the spot after Victor Osimhen was fouled in the box. A win that brightens their chances of making it to the round of 16 and dims that of the host going into the final games in the group.

Super Eagles played with a formation that was defensive in nature with five defenders denying the Ivorians time and space around their box, making them to resort to long range efforts which didn’t trouble Stanley Nwabali, who was in goal for Nigeria.

” Only one team game to play and you can tell we were unlucky to have lost via a penalty that was awarded after a VAR check. We deserve more because we played better but when a team decides to play the way Nigeria did then it’s hard to break them down. In some games the better side don’t get to win”,  the captain of the Ivorians Serge Aurier said after the game.

He said they have switched their attention to the final group game against Equatorial Guinea to make up for the disappointment of the defeat to Nigeria and hopefully seal a spot in the round of 16 of the tournament.

Osas Mahawi

Premier South Africa League (PSL) side Chippa United are facing a huge battle in their quest to hang on to the new first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Stanley Nwabali, OwnGoalNigeria.comunderstands.

He only joined the PSL side in October 2022 and only managed to play nine games in his first season at the club with Namibian goalkeeper Lloyd Kazapua preferred ahead of him.

This season he was worked his way to the role of first choice of the team with seven clean sheets in 15 games. A form that earned him a spot in the Super Eagles squad for the AFCON, he has displaced Francis Uzoho as the first choice.

Nwabali has caught the eyes in the first two games of the senior national team of Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, including yesterday’s clean sheet against the host of the tournament.

His performance for Chippa and now at the AFCON has made him the target of a host of clubs, particularly Belgium side Union Saint-Gilloise. Yesterday there were talks of a team from Saudi Arabia joining the quest to lure him from South Africa.

Chippa United are now faced with the prospect of his possible departure but cashing in on him isn’t feasible now with the club currently under a transfer ban from FIFA prohibiting them from signing any player from three consecutive windows starting from the 14th of November 2023.

The ban is due to their issues with Tanzanian defender Abdi Bandi. The ban will run till January 2025 if the issue still remains unresolved. It means even if Nwabali is sold the cash can’t be used to strengthen the team based on the present situation.

One of the biggest challenge they will likely face is if the 27 year old decide to push for a move to a top team in Europe or go for the cash on offer in Saudi Arabia to make the most of his new status as the first choice of Nigeria.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Nigeria got their first win of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win over the host of the tournament Ivory Coast banishing the memory of their 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria silenced the capacity crowd at the stadium with a goal from the spot converted by the captain of the Nigerian team William Troost-Ekong after top striker Victor Osimhen was fouled in the box.

Many Nigerians expected the Napoli man to pick himself up and take the spot kick but he passed the responsibility over to the captain, who didn’t disappoint with a well taken strike from six yards which ended as the decider of the game.

” Osimhen is not the designated penalty taker. He is third on the list that is if captain Ahmed Musa isn’t playing. Ekong is number one, Moses Simon is next then you have Osimhen. But if Musa is on he becomes number 4. It is for the good of the team”, a player in the team explained.

” If you remember in the world cup qualifiers play off against Ghana it was Ekong who took it. Against Guinea-Bissau away in the AFCON qualifiers even with Osimhen on the pitch it was taken by Simon. We know the hierarchy and we respect it as a team”, he rounded up saying.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman