Flying Eagles set for tough Benin test

Flying Eagles arrived in Cotonou Saturday afternoon ahead of an AYC qualifier warm-up against hosts Benin the following day.

The test match will be played at the Stade Rene Pleven Cotonou 2 by 4pm.

It was the same venue both teams played out a 1-1 draw two years ago.

NFF president’s special adviser Patrick Pascal has warned the Flying Eagles should expect a physical challenge from the home team after he accompanied the Golden Eaglets to lose the Benin U17 in a WAFU B U17 Championship.

“They will not take this game as a friendly and they will most likely line up big and strong players like was the case against us in Togo,” warned the ex-international.

The home team had earlier planned to camp the Flying Eagles in Porto Novo, where they are also training, and both teams would then make the hour-long bus ride to Cotonou on match day.

However, coach Manu Garba kicked against this arrangement and the Flying Eagles were booked into Bresilia Hotel, which is a five-minute drive from the match venue.

Incidentally, Nigeria Premier League club El Kanemi Warriors stayed at this hotel for their pre-season training tour of Benin recently.

The Nigeria U20s could not train on Saturday evening as hoped because a league game was being played at the match venue.

They hope they could now shake up fatigue with an early Sunday morning session.

Coach Manu is expected to ring two changes to his settled first team with Izu Omego in for Zaharadeen Bello in the heart of the back four.

Ifeanyi Ifeanyi will also replace defensive midfielder Akinjide Idowu in the starting XI.

Both teams are using this match to prepare for this weekend’s AYC qualifiers.

Nigeria will be away to Tanzania, while Benin battle Congo also away from home.

Flying Eagles pick Iheanacho, Musa Yahaya for Benin warm-up

The Nigeria U20 team have named a 20-man squad for Sunday’s warm-up match against their Benin Republic counterparts in Porto Novo.

Among those picked were the country’s heroes from last year’s FIFA U17 World Cup-winning team like Kelechi Iheanacho, skipper Musa Muhammed, Chidiebere Nwakali, Musa Yahaya, Taiwo Awoniyi, Abdullahi Alfa and Zaharadeen Bello.

Others on the squad are Alhassan Ibrahim aka Mu-azam, Wilfred Ndidi, Ifeanyi Matthew and goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo.

The test match will be played at Charles de Gaulle Stadium in Porto Novo from 4pm local time, which is the same time with Nigeria.

Both teams have clashed at the same level previously.

They drew 1-1 in Cotonou in September 2012 and a rematch in Abuja ended in a goalless draw.

Two players will then be dropped from the squad for the 2015 AYC qualifier in Tanzania in the weekend of May 9-11.

NFF executive committee member Shehu Adamu will lead the team to both Benin and Tanzania.

The full squad:

Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo, Adamu Abubakar, Abdulazeez Abubakar

Defenders: Musa Muhammed, Mustapha Abdullahi, Ifeanyi Nweke, Wilfred Ndidi, Izu Omego, Zaharadeen Bello

Midfielders: Chidiebere Nwakali, Musa Yahaya, Kelechi Iheanacho, Abdullahi Alfa, Akinjide Idowu, Wasiu Jimoh, Ifeanyi Matthew, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi

Strikers: Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Mu-azam’, Taiwo Awoniyi, Sulaiman Abdullahi

Flying Eagles pick 35 from open trials

The Flying Eagles have picked 35 players after an intensive two-week open screening in Abuja, which attracted over 1,500 hopefuls.

The second phase of the Nigeria U20 team’s training camp will commence in Abuja on Monday, when the 35 players from the open trials are joined by 20 other players who were involved with the country’s U17 team last year.

“We expect a much fiercer competition in the second phase and players need to be more consistent to survive then,” said Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba.

Manu plans to soon form a standing team in time for the Flying Eagles African Youth Championship qualifying match against either Kenya or Tanzania in early May.

PLAYERS PICKED FROM FLYING EAGLES OPEN SCREENING

Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo, Adamu Abubakar, Amos Benjamin, Zaradeen Usman

Defenders: Babatunde Ade, Baba Garba Ghaddafi, Mazadu Surajo Abdullahi, Julius Emalaju, Chukwuma Okpara, Timothy Danladi, Ifeanyi Nweke, Bashir Mansur

Midfielders: Anthony Chukwudi Omaka, Fidelis Irene, Samuel Mathias, Uche Okeke, Aremu Abdulhafeez, Raphael Ayagwa, Alashe Sherif Ajibola, Shabanya Jonathan, Uche Chibueze, Bankole Segun, Salman Ibrahim, Jimoh Wasiu

Strikers: Suleiman Abdullahi, Abubakar Lawal, Billy Auta, Mahmoud Mohammed, Orji Promise, Aliyu Sani Jandi, Victory Omadigbe, Eze Chisom, Yakubu Mohammed, Peter Araodion, Isaac Uduak