Four Talking Points as Nigeria set to battle Ghana for World Cup Spot, By Abdullahi Jimoh
From who owns the best jollof rice, all the way through to music and culture, Nigeria and Ghana have been at loggerheads over which country is better. This rivalry is even much stronger in football, especially now that both countries are set to battle for a place in Qatar 2022 over two-legged playoffs. The first leg of the game will be played on Friday, March 25th, 2022 in Ghana while the second leg will be played in Nigeria, three days later.
While the Super Eagles are all geared up to overwhelm the Black Stars and get through to a seventh World Cup appearance, the Ghanaians would be looking to make their fourth appearance and the first since the 2014 showpiece. The Ghana versus Nigeria game is one of five sets of play-off fixtures in deciding Africa’s representatives for the World Cup finals later this year in Qatar.
Here are five talking points we picked out ahead of the crunch matches between both nations –
1. New Men In Charge – Much is being expected of Ghana’s new coaching team. Following their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, Ghana swiftly appointed former Borussia Dortmund defender, Otto Addo as their new coach, and former Brighton manager, Chris Hughton to serve as technical advisor. The pair, alongside former Dutch international George Boateng, and Didi Dramani are expected to lead the Black Stars past the Super Eagles.
Only a few days after the AFCON tournament, the Nigeria Football Federation also announced a change in it’s technical team, naming Augustine Eguavoen, Emmanuel Amuneke, Salisu Yussuf, Alloy Agu and Joseph Yobo as the new technical members to lead the Super Eagles through the World Cup playoff against Ghana.
Failure to qualify for the World Cup finals would most certainly mean the end of the journey for one technical team.
2. Wilfred Ndidi’s absence – One player that would be hugely missed in the crunch encounter is Super Eagles midfield powerhouse, Wilfred Ndidi. The midfielder picked up an injury in the Leicester City’s game against Rennes in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, March 17th, 2022. Ndidi has already been replaced by Lorient midfielder Innocent Bonke.
In January, 2022, 26-year Kaduna-born Bonke signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with FC Loriente from Swedish side Malmo FF. He is no stranger to the Super Eagles squad as the defensive midfielder made his debut for Nigeria on September 7, 2021, in the 2-1 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde away.
Bonke is a strong and impressive midfielder but he is no ‘Wilf’ and the Black Stars would most certainly look to exploit his inclusion in the squad if he gets to start.
3. Welcome Back Ighalo and Osimhen – After missing out of the final AFCON squad back in January 2022, the Super Eagles now have two of the continents finest finishers back in their squad as Victor Osimhen and Odion Ighalo are set to feature against the Black Stars. Ighalo missed out on the AFCON 2021 squad list after Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab did not permit his participation in the tournament. Meanwhile, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, had revealed that Victor Osimhen, asked to be dropped from the AFCON squad because he would not be able to give his best.
Nigerians are now anticipating to see both players perform for the Super Eagles following impressive performances in their respective clubs.
4. The Black Stars roll the dice – After weeks of anticipation, Otto Addo has finally named his 27-man squad for the playoffs against the Super Eagles.
The 27 players invited include three debutants namely Dennis Korsah, Denis Odoi and Elisha Owusu. Among the other players included in the team are Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey, and Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew. Captain Andre Ayew misses out after receiving a straight red in the recently concluded AFCON finals.
Discover more from DailyNewsCover.com || ...Its All About News Update
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
