Nigeria Super Eagles on Tuesday began training for Friday’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 playoff first leg match against the Black Stars of Ghana in Abuja,https://aclsports.com reports.
The goalkeeper trainer of the team Alloy Agu took the available players through their paces at the light training session held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Vice-captain William Troost-Ekong and defensive partner Leon Balogun were part of the first set of arrivals in camp on Monday morning.
Some of the other earliest arrivals in camp were Semi Ajayi, Ola Aina and Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka. Before noon, Odion Ighalo also joined to increase the number of players in camp to six.
By the end of the day, the number of players in camp increased further with the arrival of seven more players including returning midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo, Kelechi Iheanacho and Cyprus-based duo Francis Uzoho and Shehu Abdullahi.
In another development, Super Eagles first-choice goalkeeper and Sparta Rotterdam star Maduka Okoye will miss the game in Kumasi due to illness. As a result, Enyimba goalie John Noble has been called up as his replacement.
The team had a feel of the turf at the refurbished Moshood Abiola stadium as part of their preparations ahead of the game billed to kickoff at 8:30pm Nigerian time in Kumasi on Friday.
Ghana vs Nigeria is the first leg of the Qatar World Cup decisive playoff. Nigeria will host the reverse fixture in Abuja next Tuesday.
Players in Camp as at 6:30pm on Tuesday;
Goalkeepers
Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa);
Defenders
Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Calvin Bassey (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal)
Midfielders:
Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Innocent Bonke (FC Lorient, France); Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England);
Forwards:
Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford FC, England); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy).
Expected
John Noble(Enyimba FC, Nigeria), Akinkunmi Amoo (FC Copenhagen, Denmark); Ademola Lookman (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain)
Image credit: PoojaMedia
