Julius OkorieAll roads lead to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, for today’s crucial World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
Both sides have met a record eight times with Eagles winning four, pulling a draw in three and losing a friendly.
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The Super Eagles are hoping to consolidate after picking all three points against Rwanda on Friday. Zimbabwe on their part failed in their bid to subdue Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan enroute today’s encounter.
The match had ended 2-2, thus denying the Warriors a promised $150,000 dollars placed as bet on the table for them to beat Cheetahs.
The same bet has been offered for the Michael Nees tutored side to attempt to climb a tall mountain by beating the Super Eagles in Uyo.
Super Eagles were absent at the last World Cup in Qatar and are eager to avoid watching the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada from the sidelines.
Eric Chelle, who has been mandated to earn the ticket to the World Cup, is happy to have begun on a victorious note but insists maximum three points in today’s encounter is nonnegotiable, which explains why he opted for closed door final training before today’s match.
The former Eagles of Mali coach is having the full compliments of his players with every player ready to offer his best in pursuit of ‘the American dream.’
The team had played four matches in the World Cup qualifiers without a win but a return to winning ways on Friday has fired up the spirit to go for more wins.
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Expectedly, the team will be banking on brace scorer and Galatasaray talisman, Victor Osimhen, to re-enact the delivery in Kigali.
He is not the only one tipped to shine today as reigning African footballer of the year and Atalanta strong man, Ademola Lookman, will equally be looking for the opportunity to dismantle the Warriors when the opportunity presents itself.
Eagles To Get Massive Support:
The Eagles will not lack support as the Stadium is sure to be full to capacity. To ensure massive turnout to support the Eagles, the Akwa Ibom State Government purchased 30,000 tickets for enthusiastic football fans and supporters ahead of today’s clash billed for 5:00pm local time
Speaking ahead of today’s match, Chelle described Zimbabwe as a good team with quality coach, adding that no match is easy, so the Eagles have to be focused. Captain of the team, William Troost-Ekong, on his part said Eagles boast of quality players who have played lots of games at various levels, “it is more about everyone playing in harmony”
Troost-Ekong who joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Kholood in August last year concluded by expressing optimism that the Eagles will seal back to back victory.
“We are looking forward to a win. The three points are crucial for us. At this pivotal stage in the qualifiers, we cannot afford to drop any more points.” he enthused.
No Likely Change In Formation:
There are no indications that Chelle will tinker with the formation that handled Amavubi in Kigali.
Stanley Nwabali, who has been effective in goal since hitting the national team, will be on duty. The defensive line is expected to feature the experienced captain William Troost-Ekong, alongside Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, and Bright Osayi-Samuel, who have all demonstrated their defensive prowess in prior matches
In the midfield, the formidable duo of Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Everton’s Alex Iwobi, will be on parade. Recall that the duo were part of the players Chelle visited before the qualifiers to rub minds and emphasised the importance of putting 100% performance in the qualifiers. Samuel Chukwueze, is likely to team-up with Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon, as the blend with goal hunter, Osimhen up front.
Still on having a full stadium, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that the first 500 fans to purchase tickets will be rewarded with exclusive Super Eagles jerseys, as detailed in a statement from NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.
“We are calling on Nigerians to turn out in large numbers to support the Super Eagles on Tuesday,” the statement reads in part.
“When we played Rwanda in Kigali on Friday, the Rwandans filled the Amahoro Stadium.
“Let us fill the stadium with green and white, and drum and dance to support the team.”
Meanwhile, the Warriors Coach, Michael Nees, has hailed the Godswill Akpabio Stadium and the facilities they have had to enjoy since arriving Nigeria. Nees, who is dreaming of picking a point against Eagles said he wished they had such facilities back home.
“Since we came into Nigeria, we’ve settled in well. They put us in a beautiful and wonderful hotel. Their facilities are world class; the training pitch is very good, and the stadium is superbly good. We wish we had something like this back in our country,” he said.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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