June 07, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Super Eagles have begun their preparations for Thursday’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, with 24 of the 27 invited players camping in Abuja.
Jose Peseiro’s team kicked off initial preparations with friendly matches against Mexico (on May 28 in Dallas) and Ecuador (on June 2 in New Jersey), as they look to qualify for their 20th participation in Africa’s premier tournament, which will be held next summer in Cote d’Ivoire.
Of the invited players, only defenders Abdullahi Shehu and Calvin Bassey, as well as his Rangers teammate, midfielder Joe Aribo, were not in camp as of the initial training on Sunday.
Peseiro was able to meet and familiarise himself with invited players who were unable to travel to the United States for the friendlies, including captain Ahmed Musa, defenders Zaidu Sanusi and Leon Balogun, midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo, and strikers Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar, and Ademola Lookman, during the breakfast and lunch times.
On Thursday evening, the Super Eagles take on Sierra Leone at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, in one of the Group A qualification series’ Day 1 matchups. They will go to Marrakech on Saturday for their Day 2 match against Sao Tomé and Principe on Monday, June 13th.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football has appointed Ivorian officials to oversee the match in Abuja on Thursday, with Ibrahim Kalilou Traore serving as the referee, Adou Desire N’goh, Nouhou Ouattara, and Kouassi Francois Biro, will act as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2, and fourth official, respectively. The match commissioner will be Ghana’s Moukaila Nassam Adam, and referee assessor will be Burkina Faso’s Serge Paulin Samuel.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
