With Odion Ighalo, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, back in the team Coach Gernot Rohr is 'confused' with choices as he selects the starting eleven against Liberia in the 2022 World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
All is set for matchday 5 between Liberia and Nigeria in the CAF 2022 World Cup qualifier as Liberia host Nigeria in Tangier Morrocco on Saturday, (13 November 2022) by 5 pm.
The Super Eagles has the full complement of players invited for the encounter as the team has been preparing hard for the game all through the days leading to the weekend.
Odion Ighalo joined on Thursday after accepting the offer from the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF) to rescind his international retirement decision.
Other players that also returns to the team after a bout with Injury are Wilfred Ndidi, Samuel, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze, making the team stronger than ever in the qualifiers on paper, hence making the selection of the starting eleven a sweet headache for the coach.
Nigeria needs a victory and hope that Cape Verde failed to beat the Central African Republic to book a place in the final round, hence there is no margin for error starting from starting eleven.
The team has been charged by the NFF led by the president, Amaju Pinnick to avoid errors after their last training on Friday as it will put pressures off their shoulders going into the final game in Lagos, against Cape Verde on Tuesday, (16 November 2022).
" The spirit is great and I believe you will do the job tomorrow. Let us leave very few rooms for mistakes; in fact, no room for errors at all" began Amaju Pinnick
"The three points are important and we should put them in our bags as we fly back to Nigeria tomorrow night", Amaju concludes.
So the job starts with the coach, by ensuring he picks the best from the pool of fantastic players he has in camp and armed detailed match plan to get the needed result.
Here is our predicted eleven based on the situation report from the Super Eagles camp in Tangier, Morrocco.
Predicted lineup
The coach needs to outdo his Liberian counterpart in the tactics and strategies game and ultimately choose the best combination of players that can get the job done.
The coach may likely adopt a 3-5-2 formation based on the strength of the players and their performance in camp, according to reports.
Goalkeeper
Maduka Okoye will keep the number one hand glove as he remained the safest hand in the team.
Defence
The defence line may likely stand on the tripod stand of William Troost Ekong, Leon Balogun and Chigozie Awaziem.
Reports have it that Awaziem is one of the central defenders in camp and he is one of the reasons the coach may switch to three the accommodate the versatile defender.
Midfielders
Ola Aina is in contention for a starter shirt as a right wing-back and he is in pole position to get the coach's nod for a place on the right side of the wing.
Zaidu Sanusi is in contention to return to the team after he missed out on the last two games due to poor form.
The Porto FC defender is likely to be the man on the left wing-back for the team, ahead of Jamilu Collins due to his speed and higher recovery rate.
Wilfred Ndidi will be anchorman through the middle, and may likely play behind Alex Iwobi as both players to the squad after matchday one of the qualifier against Cape Verde in Lagos.
Chidera Ejuke is also in line to get the nod on the left side of the midfield, continuing from where he stopped at the last qualifier where he shone like a diamond in the sky.
While Ahmed Musa and Samuel Chukwueze may likely start from the bench according to our camp source who witnessed the team's tactical training on Thursday.
Attack
The two-man attack favours Kelechi Iheanacho playing behind Victor Osimhen,
While Odion Ighalo may likely start from the bench as his late coming has greatly reduced his chances of starting ahead of any of the two.
The Possible Line-Up
Maduka Okoye, Ola Aina, Chigozie Awaziem, Leon Balogun, William Troost Ekong, Zaidi Sanusi, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Chidera Ejuke, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen.
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