Nigeria will take on Guinea-Bissau in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in the next fortnight.
The Super Eagles host the first leg on Friday, March 24 and are away three days later. The three-time African champions are already top of Group A, having won their first two fixtures and are two points ahead of Guinea-Bissau.
So having the better of the Djurtus over the two legs will prove to be crucial in deciding the final outcome of the group. No doubt, the head coach of Nigeria, Jose Peseiro, is looking to invite some of his top squad members for the two matches.
It won’t be a problem for Peseiro, as some of the names expected to be called up are doing brilliantly. Of course, there is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. It took Osimhen just 197 games to score 100 goals in Europe – faster than some of the all-time greats.
For context, Lionel Messi needed 210 matches, while Cristiano Ronaldo achieved it in 301 games. Osimhen is single-handedly leading Napoli’s title charge this season, netting 21 times in 26 matches.
Ademola Lookman is also setting Serie A on fire with Atalanta. Lookman had a strong start this season, but seems to have struggled in recent outings. The 24-year-old has failed to register a goal in his last six league games. But overall, he has scored 12 goals and recorded five assists in 24 league appearances for La Dea.
Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, has been in decent form too. Iheanacho has scored six goals in all competitions for City this season, with only James Maddison (nine) and Harvey Barnes (eight) netting more. Four of his goals have come in his last seven games.
After three straight losses to Costa Rica, Portugal, and Algeria, Peseiro would be working towards two straight wins. And there is little argument that the 62-year-old has enough in his arsenal to achieve it.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
