Julius OkorieSuper Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, is ready to begin his quest for World Cup ticket for Nigeria, after releasing his final 23-man squad for the qualifier against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Chelle, who embarked on tour of foreign based Eagles and also league match venues at home before picking his squad, had earlier released a provisional 39-man team before settling for the final 23-man team ahead of a double header qualifier that will see Eagles confront Amavubi of Rwanda on Friday, March 21 at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, and The Warriors of Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 25.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelExpectedly, the duo of African footballers of the year, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, headline the pack of strikers that have been picked for the showdown. Others include Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Boniface and Moses Simon. The defence boasts of Captain William Troost-Ekong, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi and Ola Aina who recently thrilled Nottingham forest coach, Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo with a splendid performance against Ipswich to earn the side a place in the FA Cup quarterfinals
Chelle and his team need to earn as many points as they can to claim an impressive position in the group. Nigeria occupies the 5th position in Group C with three points in four matches played so far, that is four points behind group leaders Rwanda. South Africa, Benin, and Lesotho all rank better on the log going into the new set of qualifiers, an indication that the team will need to dig deep to settle for victories all the way. Nigeria missed the last world cup in Qatar and soccer lovers in the country are eager to see the team pick a slot to the next world cup next year to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
Here Is Full List Of Chelle’s 23-Man Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa)
Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania)
Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars)
Defenders:
William Ekong (Al-Kholood FC, Saudi Arabia)
Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce SK, Turkey)
Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos FC, Greece)
Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England)
Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England)
Igoh Ogbu (SK Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
Midfielders:
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England)
Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium)
Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA)
Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England)
Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)
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.
