Nigerian superstar striker Victor Osimhen was among the first set of players to arrive in camp as Nigeria’s Super Eagles began preparations for their upcoming make-or-mar FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, www.aclsports.com reports.
Osimhen, 26, signed off from club duties with a spectacular hattrick for his side Galatasaray in their 4-0 win over Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Friday and the extra days have allowed him travel on time to Kigali for the crucial assignment.
Osimhen arrived the Rwandan capital on Sunday night and was joined by three other players Bruno Onyemaechi whose club also last played on Thursday night (in the Europa League) as well as the two invited home based players Kayode Bankole and Papa Daniel.
The team’s backroom staff led by head coach Eric Chelle has also arrived in Kigali to prepare the way for the players’ training sessions and preparations for the upcoming games, starting from Friday’s encounter with Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium.
A large chunk of the twenty three invited players are expected to arrive on Monday, giving the technical crew at least three full days of preparations ahead of the games. First time invitee Tolu Arokodare and goalkeeper Amas Obasogie also arrived Kigali on Monday morning.
Nigeria are currently placed second from bottom in Group C of the qualifying race and will require maximum points from their next games if they want to stand with a chance of qualifying for the World Cup to be staged in North America next year.
The Super Eagles will face Rwanda in Kigali on Friday before returning home to face Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
