The senior national team of Nigeria will be in Pot 1 alongside other seeded teams when the draw for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations which will be hosted by Cameroon .

All the teams in Pot 1 are the top four teams on the African continent base on the latest FIFA ranking and the host of the tournament but Nigeria would have missed out if not for the fact that 3rd seed Algeria go into the draws as defending champions.

Super Eagles were seeded alongside the host, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco in Pot 1 while Pot 2 where they will definitely get an opponent has Egypt, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.

Pot 3 has Cape Verde, Gabon, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone. Pot 4 is occupied by Malawi, Sudan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Gambia.

Already coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr is in Cameroon alongside other officials of the Nigeria Football Federation for the draws.

He comes across as a skinny looking teenager and can easily be passed as one who can be easily bullied off the but that is where many got it all wrong as Aliyu Abdullahi can’t be robbed off possession easily.

His quick feet and pace helps him glide past his markers with ease with his control of the ball not under any threat even when he is in full flight. The way he goes into duels defies his physical appearance.

It came as no surprise when scouts from Dutch giants Ajax picked him for extended scouting after impressing in a league game. He followed it up with another impressive performance at the Aiteo Federation Cup final.

The GBS Academy graduate ended the season on a high and it has led to inquires about his availability from teams in Nigeria and Africa at large. For now Ajax is the only European team who have registered their interest in pursuing a deal for him.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr will later in the week release the list of players who will prosecute Nigeria’s first two World Cup 2022 qualifiers game.

Super Eagles will start their campaign at home against Liberia before taking on Cape Verde three days later away from home. The aim will be to pick maximum points from both games.

The importance of picking two wins from the first two games means Rohr will go into the games with his strongest squad available. We take a look at the names that will likely keep their spot and those who will miss out. Some players will also be eyeing their first competitive game in the colors of the team.

Likely New Names:

Calvin Bassey, Joshua Oluwayemi , Ovie Ejaria

In Line For Competitive Debut:

Frank Onyeka, Emmanuel Dennis, Terem Moffi

Likely Out Of The Games:

Kevin Akpoguma, Samuel Chukwueze, Henry Onyekuru, Anayo Iwuala, Semi Ajayi , Jamilu Collins, Sadiq Umar , Tyronne Ebuehi

The unfortunate collapse of Nigeria international Samuel Kalu during the course of Bordeaux 2-2 draw against Marseille provoked memories of what happened to Danish midfield Christian Eriksen at the European Championship.

Like Eriksen, Kalu went to the ground unchallenged but unlike the Dane who was taken out on stretcher and oxygen support, the Nigerian was resuscitated by doctors and walked off the pitch.

He even played for another five minutes before he was substituted by Remi Oudin, Oudin speaking after the game said the thought of what happened to Eriksen crossed their minds the moment Kalu went down.

“Kalu’s incident gave us chills. It’s always a bit shocking for spectators and players on the pitch,” said Oudin who went on to score in the 2-2 draw.

“With what happened with Eriksen at the Euros, we think about it. Everyone got a little scared. Fortunately, it ended well.

“According to the doctors, it’s a simple discomfort but he will certainly be undergoing tests on Monday.”

Coach of Bordeaux Vladimir Petkovic also said he was thinking of same thing when Kalu who suffered something similar with Nigeria in training at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation went down.

“I was thinking about what happened during the Euro,” admitted Bordeaux coach Vladimir Petkovic.

“With the medical team, we chose to replace him so as not to take any risks. In these cases, football takes a back seat.”

Tyronne Ebuehi well taken spot kicks during sudden death ensured his team go through 9-8 on penalties against Frosinone with both teams locked at 1-1 after extra time.

The two goals in the game were scored during extra time with Mirko Gori 93rd minute goal for Frosinone cancelled out by Francesco Di Mariano eight minutes later forcing the game into spot kicks.

Ebuehi was on for the entire duration of the game and showed no sign of suffering from physical exhaustion as he advanced high up the pitch to join the attack and also defended when he needed to.

Playing in his first competitive game since completing a loan move to the newly promoted Serie A side he showed no nerves as he stepped up to bury his kick into the right hand side of Frosinone goalkeeper.

Venezia have an option of making the loan deal permanent and they will no doubt be keen on triggering it if he plays a key role in their bid to remain in the Italian top flight.

Nigeria international Ola Aina played his first official game for Serie A side Torino after returning from a season long loan with relegated English Premier League side Torino.

Aina was on for the entire duration of the 120 minutes of the game which went into extra time and scored the last penalty kick from the spot during shoot outs to help his team beat ten man Cremonese 4-1.

He stepped up to bury the decisive spot kick with Cremonese scoring just one of their four kicks during the shoot out. Aina won a penalty in extra time which was missed by Mandragora.

By extension he was one of the best players on parade for the Italian side as he also came close to scoring twice with long range efforts, but he wasn’t spared by fans of the clubs who were unhappy with the display of the team.

Just like the rest of the Torino players in the game, the fans registered their displeasure with the performance by booing and whistling the team, something which Aina found offensive and took to Twitter to speak about it.

To all the Torino fans that were booing or whistling whenever I got the ball tonight, “THANKY YOU” doubter and haters WILL only make me better, we move 😂🤝. As a club we should always stay together no matter what”, he posted.

Nigeria international winger Samuel Kalu collapsed four minutes into their 2-2 draw against ten man Marseille in the French Ligue 1 at the Stade Velodrome.

Kalu slumped unchallenged as Marseille were getting set to take a free kick. He was a part of the wall but went down even before the kick was taken and he was promptly attended to and he walked off the pitch.

He returned to the pitch and carried on for eight more minutes before he was subbed off as he appeared to be struggling to get going. Reports indicate that he complained of dizziness.

It’s the second time in two years that he has experienced same with the first coming during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when he slumped in training, two days before the Super Eagles opening game of the tournament.

Newly signed Esperance of Tunisia winger Anayo Iwuala says he doesn’t know what will happen to his international career with Nigeria after his move to the Tunisian side from Enyimba FC of Aba.

The winger has been a part of the Super Eagles squad for their last four games owing to his performance while at Enyimba. He was seen as one of the best outfield players in the Nigeria Professional League (NPFL).

He didn’t quite match same heights with the games he played for the senior team of Nigeria but his occasional moment of brilliance shows he has the talent to be a part of the team in the future.

His move to Esperance is seen as a positive step in his career, but the winger fears it could be at the detriment of his international spot in the Super Eagles squad ahead of the start of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.

“I don’t know if coming here will further help me establish myself in the Super Eagles, but I know I will give my best here and that’s all I can do for now”, he told the BBC in an interview.

Hoffenheim defender Kevin Akpoguma says his desire is to play in his preferred role in the heart of the defence of the Super Eagles of Nigeria when the World Cup 2022 qualifiers gets underway.

Akpoguma has played as a right back in the games he has played for the Super Eagles of Nigeria with coach Gernot Rohr sticking to his preferred duo of Leon Balogun and Willam Troost-Ekong.

The former German U20 defender is keen on forcing his way into the plan of the coach In centre defence and it means dislodging one of the duo. Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem are the other options in the role as well.

“ It’s nice to defend the colours of your country and it makes one want to play in the position that benefits the team. Playing for Nigeria is a dream for me and I am ready to play in any role for the team”, he said.

“ My preferred position is to play as a centre back. That is where I see myself excelling more for the good of the team but even at right back. I have always given my all”.

The first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Maduka Okoye was beaten four times as Sparta Rotterdam slump to a heavy 0-4 to Utrecht defeat in their first game of the new season in the Netherlands.

Okoye as expected started in goal but against his hope of celebrating his new deal with the club with a clean sheet. He was made to pick the ball four times from his net.

The rout started as early as the second minute of play. A scoreline that stayed same until six minutes after the hour mark when Utrecht went on rampage scoring twice in ten minutes before another in time added on.

Last season Okoye was in contention for the title of the best goalkeeper of the year and his form also saw him upstage Francis Uzoho to the role of first choice for the senior national team of Nigeria.

His total of ten clean sheets led to interest from Dutch League giants Ajax Amsterdam and a host of other teams before his decision to accept fresh terms to remain with Sparta Rotterdam. He will be hoping to put this setback behind him ahead of subsequent games.