Nigeria’s Under-23 squad, heading to a final training camp in the USA ahead of this year’s Olympics and the U20 team preparing for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final round qualifying fixture, clash in a potentially –explosive friendly match in Abuja on Saturday morning.
Both teams clash in the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Abuja only four days before the Olympic team travels to Atlanta, USA to finalize preparations for the men’s football tournament of this year’s Olympics.
Coach Samson Siasia left the FIFA Goal Project pitch disappointed after his team lost to the Flying Eagles in the first of a two –match friendly last month. This was before the U23 team departed for Korea Republic for the 4 –Nation Suwon Invitational Tournament. That defeat gave Siasia and his technical crew a true perspective of their potential and forced him to make few adjustments to the side that lost two games (to Korea and Denmark) and won just one, against Honduras, at the Suwon tournament.
Saturday provides a perfect setting for a replay, as a fortified Nigeria U23 squad comprising of five Super Eagles players namely, Etebo Oghenekaro, Shehu Abdullahi, Stanley Amuzie, Musa Mohammed and Usman Mohammed, will file out against the younger but determined Flying Eagles.
The Emmanuel Amuneke –tutored Flying Eagles defeated Okagbue FC from Anambra 2-1 on Monday morning and followed it up with a 4-0 whiplash of Lion Stars of Suleja on Wednesday morning also at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.
Reigning champions Nigeria play away to Sudan on July 8 in the first leg of a final qualifying fixture for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Zambia 2017.
