Head coach of the senior national team of Ivory Coast Jean-Louis Gasset says his team will turn the pressure of being the host of the tournament to their advantage starting from their opening game against Guinea-Bissau, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The hosts who are seen as one of the favourites for the title are in the same group with Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea, and their immediate aim is to get out of the group starting from today’s game against Guinea-Bissau.

Speaking on the game, the 70 year old who will be competing at the AFCON for the first time in what is his first sojourn in African football sees today’s opponent as a tricky one, mentioning their win over Super Eagles as one of the reasons why they should be treated with respect.

Despite the fact that they are yet to win a game at the AFCON and are ranked 103rd in the FIFA rankings, 54 spots lower than Ivory Coast, Gasset said they have shown with their win over Nigeria that they can be dangerous especially at counter attacks.

“They have beaten Nigeria in the qualifiers and we know they have good players especially Mama Balde, who now plays at Lyon.

“We want to start well but with due respect to our opponents, who are very dangerous at counter attacks but we need to dominate the game,” Gasset said.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria had their penultimate training session ahead of their first game against Equatorial Guinea  at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Led by head coach Jose Peseiro the team had a two hour session which had all the 22 players in the camp of the team in attendance from the start to the end. The remaining three players in Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu will join the team between today and tomorrow.

Peseiro after the usual drills and warm up had them play against each other in a test game giving an idea of how he will set the team up on Sunday. The key thing we noticed was the return of William Troost-Ekong Ekong at centre back to pair Semi Ajayi with Calvin Bassey moved to the left back spot.

It was a test game which had one team with most of the regulars in green against the other who are more of players who won’t get to play putting on yellow bibs on their green outfit.

Below is how they lined up against each other.

Team A

Francis Uzoho (GK)
Ola Aina
Calvin Bassey
Semi Ajayi
William Troost-Ekong
Alex Iwobi
Frank Onyeka
Moses Simon
Samuel Chukwueze
Victor Osimhen

Team B

Stanley Nwabali (GK)
Bright Osayi-Samuel
Zaidu Sanusi
Bruno Onyemaechi
Kenneth Omeruo
Chidozie Awaziem
Raphael Onyedika
Alhassan Yusuf
Ademola Lookman
Joe Aribo
Ahmed Musa

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Kelechi Iheanacho will arrive in the camp of the senior national team of Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations tomorrow, despite claims by Leicester City Coach Enzo Maresca that he isn’t fit to play at the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Maresca while speaking ahead of Leicester City’s game against Coventry City listed Iheanacho among the injured players in his team , who are not expected to take part in the game.

He used Jamie Vardy to open his speech on the injured players in the team.  “He’s better. He started to train with us and he’s getting better. He’s not in the squad for tomorrow.”

“Kasey is back and Dennis is back,” Maresca added. “The only ones [out] are Jamie and Kel (Kelechi), still out, both of them,” he said.

However we can exclusively reveal that Iheanacho is expected to join the team tomorrow morning around 5am, just in time for their final training session before the first game against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

It is still unclear if he will be passed fit to play but he is certainly going to arrive tomorrow and a decision on his involvement in the game will  be made based on how he come through the training session.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of Leicester City Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Kelechi Iheanacho is still injured and won’t be allowed to team up with the senior national team of Nigeria, who are in Cote d’Ivoire for the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Iheanacho was initial billed to join the team in Nigeria before their departure to Cote d’Ivoire but it was pushed back by his club, with a fresh arrival date of Saturday.

Speaking after the team’s first training session in Abidjan, Peseiro said Iheanacho’s arrival was delayed by Leicester City, who said they want to be sure he is hit and ready to return to training before sanctioning his trip to team up with the Super Eagles.

However it appears that date isn’t feasible anymore as the striker is still out injured according to head coach of English Championship side Leicester City.

Manager Maresca said at his press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of this weekend game against Coventry City: “He (Vardy) is better, he starts to train with us. He won’t be in the squad for tomorrow. Kasey is back and Dennis is back”, Maresca added. The only ones (out) are Jamie and Kel (Kelechi), still out, both of them”, he said.

Maresca’s statement has cast a huge doubt on if Iheanacho will be with the team for the tournament and it has already set panic in the camp of the Super Eagles with head coach Jose Peseiro having a little over 24 hours to pick a replacement.

Tournament rules only permit teams to replace injured players 24 hours before their first game of the tournament. Nigeria have already made three adjustments to their sqaud due to injury with the trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar replaced by Alhassan Yusuf, Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has given a new role in the attack of the team to Ahmed Musa ahead of the team’s first game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will go into the game with only one fit striker in Victor Osimhen with Sadiq Umar, Victor Boniface and Kelechi Iheanacho all out of the first game. Umar and Boniface were replaced by the duo of Paul Onuachu and Terem Moffi due to injury but their replacement won’t make the in time for the opening game.

Kelechi Iheanacho who is recovering from a knock is expected to fly in from England on Saturday, a day to the game which effectively rules him out of the clash against Equatorial Guinea.

Victor Osimhen has been kept aside from all physical contact as he is the only fit striker in the team, he has also been told to avoid going into any tackles or aggressive contact in their remaining training sessions ahead of the game, and Musa has been shifted to the role of the back up striker.

Originally picked as a winger, he will now go into the first game as the deputy striker in the absence of the trio of Moffi, Iheanacho and Onuachu.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Choosing your first bookmaker can be quite a difficult matter, because you will need to take into account many factors, and experience is not enough.

Nowadays there are quite a large number of different sportbooks. It’s better to treat the playing area responsibly and choose companies that are licensed. Next, we will consider the main and secondary selection criteria.

Main selection criteria

There are certain basic selection criteria that should be considered first. Bookmakers at RatingBet.com and many other sites that operate officially have these criteria. The main factors include:

• Availability of a license – in order to obtain official permission, the bookie needs to create an optimized and secure website, provide the necessary games for betting, ensure security, have an insured amount, and so on.
• Available deposit and withdrawal methods – each bookmaker is unique and therefore provides different deposit and withdrawal options. You should make sure that the office provides the options you need. For example, if you use cryptocurrency, then there should be such a method.
• Line width and additional features – it is important to choose a bookie that will provide the widest line bet possible. This will allow the game to place bets on the necessary sports, as well as tournaments. In addition, a good sportbook should provide live betting, analysis of previous games and other functions.

These are not all the main criteria that should be taken into account. However, it is important to choose a company that works honestly and guarantees payment to players.

Additional factors

Additional factors for choosing a bookie include the presence of a bonus program and mobile adaptation. If the company offers the player bonuses, then he will be able to increase his chances of success and receive additional funds. You can view the bonus program without creating a profile in the corresponding section on the website. Additional gifts will be available after registration.

It is also important that the sportbook offers comfortable conditions for playing from your phone. This option can be available as a mobile application or at least a website with an automatic function for adapting to screen resolution.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has extended a late call up to on loan Southampton forward Paul Onuachu as a replacement for the injured Sadiq Umar, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

29 year old Onuachu missed the 2021 AFCON due to injury but this time around he has benefited from injury to another player, his back to form spell at Turkish side Trabzonspor after a frustrating spell with Southampton following his January transfer move last year made it possible.

He has found the back of the net nine times in 15 matches this season and also has three assists. His inclusion is subject to his club agreeing to the late call up and even if they do the 19 caps forward will certainly miss the first game of the Super Eagles which will be against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

Cyriel Dessers is the second option in the event that Onuachu isn’t released. The Rangers of Scotland forward has four caps for Nigeria with a goal and presently he boast of six goals and two assists in 19 games this season.

We will bring more details later on this development soon.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been dealt another huge blow ahead of the start of the Africa Cup of Nations with injury knocking out Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar from the squad two days before the start of the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will begin their campaign at the tournament on the 14th of January against Equatorial Guinea and training has stepped up in readiness for the game but without three players.

The duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi are absent in the camp of the team due to various reasons, and will only be available after the team’s first game on Sunday. Sadiq has joined the walking wounded in the team.

Yesterday he took part in training with a strap around his thigh rising up to his knees. The explanation was that he was suffering from a knock picked up against Guinea in their last warm up game.

However today when the team will have a full session he was asked to step aside by Peseiro upon his arrival to join the rest of his teammates, bringing doubts on his availability for the opening game and possibly the tournament.

It is believed that he was asked to step aside on precautionary grounds but he will have to see the medics later today before a decision will be reached on his inclusion in the team for the game.

A scan conducted on his afterwards showed a strain in his knee that will require at least three weeks to heal, effectively ruling him out of the tournament. He is the third Nigerian player to ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

The others are Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Boniface, and their spot was handed to the duo of Alhassan Yusuf and Terem Moffi. Cyriel Dessers is the favorite to replace Umar who is expected to travel back to Spain where he will be assessed and treated by doctors of Real Sociedad.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro stopped Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar from taking part in the training of the Super Eagles ahead of their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Nigeria will begin their campaign at the tournament on the 14th of January against Equatorial Guinea and training has stepped up in readiness for the game but without three players.

The duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi are absent in the camp of the team due to various reasons, and will only be available after the team’s first game on Sunday. Sadiq has joined the walking wounded in the team.

Yesterday he took part in training with a strap around his thigh rising up to his knees. The explanation was that he was suffering from a knock picked up against Guinea in their last warm up game.

However today when the team will have a full session he was asked to step aside by Peseiro upon his arrival to join the rest of his teammates, bringing doubts on his availability for the opening game and possibly the tournament.

It is believed that he was asked to step aside on precautionary grounds but he will have to see the medics later today before a decision will be reached on his inclusion in the team for the game.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Former captain and star of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Okocha says Udinese first choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is still the best goalkeeper for the Super Eagles, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Okoye who is now the first choice at Udinese hasn’t played for Nigeria since the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, where he was largely blamed for the goal that Nigeria conceded in the knock out games against Tunisia.

The goal sent the Super Eagles out of the tournament and it led to barrage of criticism at the German born shot stopper, and since then he hasn’t added to his 16 caps for the senior national team of Nigeria.

He was named in the provisional list of players for the tournament but he turned it down with sources close to him saying he isn’t in the right frame mentally to make a return to the team, after the insults including death threats that he suffered in the wake of that error.

Reacting to his exclusion from the team and with the lack of faith in Francis Uzoho, who took his spot as the first choice goalkeeper due to his error prone display in recent games. Okocha felt Nigeria isn’t going to the tournament with the best goalkeeper available to the team.

“The way he has been treated since AFCON2021, after that fateful Tunisia game, leading to his exclusion from the Eagles, is a mistake. “He is the one keeper that has the type of training and football upbringing that we need in a goalkeeper in the national team. But he is excluded. It’s strange,” Okocha said in a chat in Cote d’Ivoire with veteran Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwuna.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman