Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has made known his starting lineup for the senior national team of Nigeria against Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Contrary to what we earlier reported Alex Iwobi starts in a midfield three alongside the duo of Frank Onyeka and Alhassan Yusuf, whom we erroneously said was picked ahead of Iwobi.

In goal , Stanley Nwabali was picked ahead of regular first choice goalkeeper Francis Uzoho. Other notable absentees in the starting lineup include Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Joe Aribo.

Lineup – Stanley Nwabali, Ola Aina, Zaidu Sanusi, William Troost-Ekong, Semi Ajayi, Alex Iwobi, Alhassan Yusuf, Frank Onyeka, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon and Victor Osimhen

*Note: We deeply regret our earlier error it wasn’t done with the intention to mislead anyone.

Barring a last minute change of mind head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro will hand a first AFCON appearance to four players, when they take on Equatorial Guinea in their first game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Peseiro who is also leading the team to a major tournament for the first time will be hoping to get the team off to a winning start after the host of the tournament Ivory Coast picked up a 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau yesterday.

In defence, we can exclusively report that the duo of Calvin Bassey and Bruno Onyemaechi will get their AFCON baptism by 3pm as they will are both in the back four.

Alhassan Yusuf was the surprise inclusion in the midfield not just because he has been picked to start but the fact that he was favored ahead of Alex Iwobi, who is one of the senior players in the team.

Yusuf who was a replacement for the injured Wilfred Ndidi blew the coaches away with his strong performances in training, making it a no brainier to hand him a start ahead of the Fulham midfielder.

He will be in the midfield alongside Raphael Onyedika another player who will be making his AFCON debut from the start. In attack Ademola Lookman will be on from the start likely on the right with Samuel Chukwueze not entirely fit to start.

The rest of the starting lineup will be made known by the official handle of the team at least an hour before the game.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Barring a last minute change of mind head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro will hand a first AFCON appearance to four players, when they take on Equatorial Guinea in their first game at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Peseiro who is also leading the team to a major tournament for the first time will be hoping to get the team off to a winning start after the host of the tournament Ivory Coast picked up a 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau yesterday.

In defence, we can exclusively report that the duo of Calvin Bassey and Bruno Onyemaechi will get their AFCON baptism by 3pm as they will are both in the back four.

Alhassan Yusuf was the surprise inclusion in the midfield not just because he has been picked to start but the fact that he was favored ahead of Alex Iwobi, who is one of the senior players in the team.

He will be in the midfield alongside Raphael Onyedika another player who will be making his AFCON debut from the start. In attack Ademola Lookman will be on from the start likely on the right with Samuel Chukwueze not entirely fit to start.

The rest of the starting lineup will be made known by the official handle of the team at least an hour before the game.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Equatorial Guinea Juan Micha Obiang says his team is prepared to claim a win in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Obiang said the team is high in confidence and will approach the game with the mindset of picking a win, even though Nigeria with all their stars are the favourite heading into the game.

The Nzalang Nacional head into the game against Nigeria undefeated in their last 10 games. They have won six, and with four drawn games and have conceded once in their last four outings.

At the heart of their defence is Las Palmas defender Saúl Basilio Coco-Bassey Oubiña, better known as Saúl Coco and today he will face a major task to keep the reigning Africa footballer of the year Victor Osimhen in check.

Born in Spain to a Equatoguinean father of Nigerian descent and a Spanish mother, making him eligible to play internationally for Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria or Spain, Coco was called up to the senior squad of the former in August 2017.

He made his full international debut on 3 September, replacing Pablo Ganet in a 1–2 friendly loss to Benin and since then has remained as one of the mainstays of the team. Today he will be up against the country of his grand parents with the task of stopping one of the most lethal forwards in European football in Osimhen.

Osimhen heads into the tournament as the talisman of the Nigerian team and he will be fired up for this clash, with the aim of powering Nigeria to the AFCON title after ten years following his title triumph with Napoli, where he lifted them to their first league title in 33 years.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria will today begin their campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations with a tie against Equatorial Guinea, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Host Ivory Coast who are in the same group with Nigeria and today’s opponent started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau in the opening game of the tournament.

Today’s game between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea will be broadcasted live on several media platforms both online and on television across the world starting from 3pm West African time.

Below is how you can watch the games on tv and also online as compiled by celebrated US based Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh.

Watch #Afcon2023
AFRICA
– StarTimes (cable sub reqd)
– newworldtv.com (free/French)
– CAF YouTube (free)
– DSTV

AUSTRALIA

– beIN

USA/CANADA

– beIN (cable carrier reqd)
– Fanatiz ($9.99/mo)

EUROPE

– SkySports (cable sub)
– BBC (free/10 games only)
– Now Sports (£34.99/mo)

Head coach of the senior national team of Equatorial Guinea Juan Micha Obiang says his team is prepared to claim a win in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The Nzalang Nacional head into the game against Nigeria undefeated in their last 10 games. They have won six, and with four drawn games and have conceded once in their last four outings.

Obiang said the team is high in confidence and will approach the game with the mindset of picking a win, even though Nigeria with all their stars are the favourite heading into the game.

“Nigeria is a great team. They have exceptional players who can be dangerous at any moment, but we are very focused and ready to approach the game calmly”, he said at the pre match presser.

He was asked if they will look to exploit the weakness of the Nigerian team which is in goal, he said they have prepared adequately to take advantage of any circumstance that will give them the win.

“The team is in great shape, and our primary goal is to secure qualification for the next phase. We are well-prepared to confront tomorrow’s match and the subsequent ones in Group A.

He stated, “We understand that we are not the favourites to start, but the team is composed, and I believe we will deliver a strong performance to secure the win. In our group, anything is possible.

“We are not here to be underestimated by anyone. We are not anyone’s Cinderella.” He gushed.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has nothing but respect for on loan Southampton striker Paul Onuachu, who was called up as replacement for Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar in the Super Eagles squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Onuachu who has found the back of the net nine times in the Turkish league for Trabzonspor and currently holds the honour of the top scorer of the team making him the obvious choice, when Sadiq sustained the injury that knocked him out of the tournament.

It will be his second Africa Cup of Nations tournament as he was in the sqaud for the 2019 edition, and even started the first game which was the 1-0 win over Burundi ahead of then first choice striker Odion Ighalo and a young Victor Osimhen.

Ighalo ended the tournament as the top scorer but Rohr defended his decision to start with the lanky forward ahead of Osimhen by saying he is a better finisher in the box, and carried a killer instinct when attacking crosses.

” Onuachu has the best rate in the team but Ighalo is more experienced and that is the difference. Osimhen is young with a bright future but isn’t at the level of Onuachu when it comes to scoring. Onuachu attacks crosses better and when in the box he is very decisive”, he said in 2020.

Nigerians will be hoping he complements Osimhen, who has now developed into one of the best finishers in world football and powered Napoli to the league title for the first time in 33 years. He is also the present Africa player of the year.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Players of the senior national team of Nigeria are not in tandem over who should be in goal when they take on Equatorial Guinea in their first game at the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively report.

In the camp of the team they currently have the trio of Olorunleke Ojo, Stanley Nwabali and the regular first choice Francis Uzoho and all three have been actively involved in training ahead of the game.

The debate on who should start in goal is a topic because of the fact Uzoho has been guilty of some costly errors in the build up to the tournament. It is now narrowed to between him and Nwabali.

A defender in the team gave his backing to Nwabali saying he is high on confidence and looked really fired up unlike Uzoho, who is having a crisis in confidence due to the errors that has cost the team in the past.

When we spoke to a midfielder he backed Uzoho saying he has looked very sharp in training and nothing like the player whom many said is battling for confidence. His opinion was echoed by a member of the backroom staff of the team.

Nwabali was backed by a key midfielder in the team who said his ability to play with his feet will make it easy for them to play in the way the coach wants them to play, when up against teams that play with a low block.

From what we exclusively gathered, Uzoho is the favourite to be in goal tomorrow as he still has the trust of the coach and even the new goalkeeper trainer Nuno Carrapato.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

There will be some major changes in the lineup of the senior national team of Nigeria when they take on Equatorial Guinea in their first game at the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

The coach is famed for playing a 4-2-4 formation but in the absence of a perfect partner for Victor Osimhen in attack he has switch the set up to a one man attack, with Osimhen flanked by two wingers.

Among the wingers in what will be a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation is Moses Simon who starts on the left with Samuel Chukwueze stationed on the right. Ademola Lookman is expected to drop off the starting lineup for the time in a while.

In the midfield, there is a high chance of Raphael Onyedika starting ahead of Frank Onyeka with Peseiro wanting a midfielder who isn’t eager to venture forward as protection is needed for the back four. The duo of Joe Aribo and Alex Iwobi will be the other players in the middle of the pitch for Nigeria.

In defence, a switch in formation means William Troost-Ekong will likely start alongside the undisputed favourite of the coach in defence Semi Ajayi. Calvin Bassey who has paired Ajayi in the last four games of the team has been majorly deployed as a left back in training.

The decision to move him to left back is due to the lack of sharpness of Zaidu Sanusi, who recently returned from an injury lay off and the coach doesn’t think it makes sense to throw Bruno Onyemaechi into the fray from the start.

Meanwhile, all of the above are subjected to changes after today’s session, where a decision on who will start between Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel at right back is expected to be made.

A 3-4-3 formation will see Aina go in ahead of the Turkish based defender but if they revert to a 4-3-3 then Osayi-Samuel will get the nod.

Ade Emmanuel

As Africa gears up for the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Goldberg Premium Lager Beer from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc., a proud partner of the Super Eagles of Nigeria is thrilled to announce the launch of its ground-breaking ‘Game On‘ AFCON campaign, to add colour to the 2024 edition of the bi-annualtournament.

The initiative, set to redefine and elevate the consumers’ experience during the tournament, aims to deepen consumers’ engagement, bringing fans closer to the action and intensifying the excitement and enjoyment surrounding the tournament.

One of the highlights of the campaign is the launch of the ‘Omoluabi Game On TVC, a visually captivating representation of the brand’s spirit of unity, enjoyment, and passion for football. The TV Commercial captures the raw emotions, unwavering support, banters, and electrifying celebrations that define Africa’s biggest football tournament.  Itshowcases the unique bond between the brand, football enthusiasts, and Nigerian football.

As the excitement builds up, Goldberg understands the importance of the digital space in connecting with today’s consumers. The campaign, therefore, includes interactive social media contests, live updates, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content to keep fans engaged throughout the tournament.

Also, to bring fans closer to the action, the brand is setting-up the ‘Goldberg Experience Centres’ during the tournament. This dedicated space will serve as a hub for football enthusiasts to gather, cheer on the Super Eagles, and enjoy an immersive viewing experience. The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring that fans do not miss a moment of the action as the Super Eagles aim for glory on the African stage.

Furthermore, the brand is delighted to introduce its AFCON Fantasy League, where consumers stand a chance to win up to 2,000,000 naira worth of prizes by predicting match scores, player performances, and tournament outcomes through the brand’s social media pages. This exciting fantasy league is designed to add an extra layer of engagement and excitement for football lovers.

Speaking on the Goldberg ‘Game On’ campaign, the Senior Brand Manager of Goldberg, Kunle Aroyehun said, “For years, Goldberg has been the trusted companion of Nigerians, promoting hard work and enjoyment and bringing consumers and communities together through the shared passion of football.

“With the ‘GAME ON’ campaign, we’re taking that commitment to a whole new level, igniting the flames of AFCON excitement and providing fans with unforgettable experiences that will stay with them long after the final whistle blows,“ he added.

As the showdown at AFCON 2024 takes centre stage, the ‘Game On’ campaign aims to unite fans and create lasting memories during the tournament. As the Super Eagles strive for success at the AFCON 2024 tournament, Goldberg stands proudly alongside the team, supporting and celebrating the spirit of Nigerian football.