FLYING EAGLES READY FOR TANZANIA ASSURES MANU GARBA
Flying Eagles are ready to fly Nigeria’s flag very high in this weekend’s 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier in Tanzania, according to a confident coach Manu Garba.
“We are fully ready for this match,” Manu said after his team’s intensive training session at the National Stadium in Lagos Tuesday morning.
“We respect our opponents, but we want to win in Tanzania so that the second leg in Nigeria will be a mere formality.
“We have very good information about Tanzania after the Nigeria Football Federation sent an official to spy on them last month. They like to play football and have a good recovery rate, but we will be equal to the task.”
He added: “We are a Nigerian team and so we have the character to withstand any situation. And we will again prove this in Tanzania.”
Last month, the Nigeria U20s played two test matches in Morocco, which they drew, and have also played against local clubs in Abuja ahead of this qualifier.
All 18 squad players are free of injury despite the bruising warm-up match against Benin Republic on Sunday in Cotonou.
Manchester City duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali impressed as second half substitutes in Benin and could well start against Tanzania.
Both players had struggled with fitness and injury when they joined up with the squad last month.
The Flying Eagles will depart Lagos by 1.35pm Wednesday for the seven-hour flight to Addis Ababa from where they will connect to Tanzania.
They are due back in Nigeria on Monday.
Tanzania confirm Sunday for AYC qualifier
Meanwhile Tanzania have confirmed that a 2015 African Youth Championship second round, first leg qualifier against Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will be staged on Sunday.
In an official correspondence by the Tanzania Football Federation dated May 6 and signed by general secretary Mwesigwa Selestine, the host federation apologised for shifting the game by a day “due to reasons beyond our reach”.
The match will be played at the 60,000-capacity National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, which has a natural grass pitch.
Kick-off time is 4pm local time, which is 2pm Nigerian time as they are two hours ahead.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have before now been kept in the dark about the match details.
Tanzania eliminated neigbours Kenya on penalties to reach the second round, while six-time African champions Nigeria drew bye into the second round.
Meanwhile, it was cheering news in the Flying Eagles camp when the wife of team doctor Ozi Salami gave birth to a bouncing baby girl on Monday.
It is the Salamis second daughter.
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