Another era, or perhaps an interim era now begins for the Super Eagles of Nigeria exactly three months after the beginning of one of the shortest eras in the history of the national team which was ended by Benin
Interim-coach extraordinaire Augustine Eguavoen takes charge of the team for a fourth stint spanning eighteen years and the latest stint comes on the heels of a botched appointment of an expatriate coach for the team.
Eguavoen has selected a strong 23-man squad for this September assignment and this has been made even sweeter with the return from injuries of some key players that missed the team’s last engagement.
ACLSports Chief Football Writer Fisayo Dairo pens his Classic Preview for the game.
ROHR RETURNS HOME
Former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr will shepherd the Cheetahs of Benin on Saturday evening in a Stadium he so much adored while he was in charge of Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
After losing his first game in that Stadium – the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo – Rohr went unbeaten in it for the rest of his stay in Nigeria, including a 2-1 win over Benin in November 2019 that had Victor Osimhen scoring for the Super Eagles.
The German still spoke with glee about the facility and expressed some of the fond memories he had with Nigeria’s Super Eagles while with the team and playing in Uyo.
FATE BRINGS BENIN BACK
Benin Republic’s win over Nigeria in June was their first ever of the Super Eagles A team and it was indeed a debilitating one. Fate has however brought them back for an opportunity for the Eagles to exact some revenge before the reverse fixture of that June game.
Benin are Nigeria’s nearest West African neighbours and have put the Super Eagles in a precarious position in the race to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after that win over their more illustrious neighbours in June.
The Beninese put an abrupt end to Finidi George’s short stint and his former teammate Eguavoen comes in to start another era for the team against them.
FULL HOUSE IN UYO
While a spate of injuries and seeming lack of players commitment met the last World Cup qualifying games, Nigeria have a full squad available to pick from for Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification clash with Benin in Uyo.
African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen and team captain William Troost-Ekong are available for the team for the first time since the AFCON final defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in February while full back Ola Aina also returns after a similar spell.
Striker Taiwo Awoniyi returns to the team for the first time in 2024 while defender Olisa Ndah is invited after last representing the team in 2022. The availability of these top stars represent a “good headache” for Nigeria coach Eguavoen ahead of the games against Benin and Rwanda.
WHAT THEY SAY:
Nigeria interim coach Augustine Eguavoen:
“It’s a new journey, we all know. Preparations towards the Nations Cup. Being the first game, nothing short of winning. Expectations are high, we are in good spirit. We are at home, we respect people, we expect the same thing too but nothing short of winning (is expected of us). Three points are crucial and that’s what we are aiming for.
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong:
“It’s always a big privilege to be here again. We’re very excited about this new campaign. Everyone doesn’t need to be reminded of how much joy we had in the last AFCON so I think this is our biggest motivation that we want to be there again in Morocco. The mood has been very good, we’re focused and from what I’ve seen in the training so far, I really liked it so yeah it’s time for us to do it too on the pitch on Saturday.
Benin Republic head coach Gernot Rohr:
“It’s an advantage to know your opponents but the task won’t be made easier because I know Nigeria. We know that they have better players than us. They have big players in the big clubs but we have one player in the German Bundesliga, Steve Mounie and one player in Ligue Un.
“But as a team, we have young players now and I’m very optimistic that we can do something well. We played two games in March against Côte d’Ivoire after their AFCON win, they wanted to use it for celebration and we drew 2-2. Then against Senegal so these give us confidence that we can be a good opponent for the Super Eagles.”
MATCH DETAILS:
Match: Nigeria vs Benin
Venue: Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo
Time: 5pm local time
Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)
HOW TO WATCH:
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