Goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena and defender Taiwo Abdulrafiu rejoined Super Eagles B’s full training ahead of Tuesday’s CHAN Group D encounter against Sudan’s Falcons of Jediane in Zanzibar, www.aclsports.com reports.
Ani missed Nigeria’s first game against defending champions Senegal in their group opener due to a knee problem last Tuesday, while left-back Taiwo, who started the game, was replaced by Harrison Uzondu after 70 minutes due to a knock.
Eric Chelle’s side have however been boosted by the return of key duo Ani Ozoemena and Taiwo Abdulrafiu ahead of Tuesday’s important clash with Sudan at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. Ani, who was the first choice during the qualifiers and most of the test games, struggled with his left knee before the game against Senegal and was ruled out of the match altogether.
Meanwhile, defender Taiwo Abdulrafiu has started all the games under Eric Chelle as his first-choice leftback, and his return is a boost ahead of the clash with the Sudanese side on Tuesday.
Alongside other players, the duo returned to Sunday evening’s training session that started around 6:15 pm (local time). The team will hold its final training session on Monday evening, hours after the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lagos and Nigeria U20 goalkeeper, Ebenezer Harcourt, was spotted in the team’s training session on Sunday. The youngster, who won bronze at the CAF U20 tournament some months ago, was initially named in Chelle’s provisional squad and has now made his way down to Zanzibar.
The game on Tuesday has been scheduled to kick off at 8pm (local time), but 6pm Nigerian time.
