It will be Redemption Tuesday for the Super Eagles as they square up to Sierra Leone for the reverse fixture of their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers double-header in Freetown.
It was indeed a game of two halves in the previous encounter between the two sides on Friday. The Nigerian team raced to a 4-0 lead within the first 30 minutes of the game, but thence could not keep up with the momentum and eventually surrendered to a 4-4 draw following a remarkable second-half resurgence from the Leone Stars which saw them score thrice in the final 30 minutes.
The Eagles now look to put the embarrassing bottle job in Benin behind them as they hope to clinch an away win in the rematch, and imperatively seal qualification to the continental competition.
Predictions
It is not out of place to expect a powerful reaction from the Eagles from the off on Tuesday but the Leone Stars’ sensational finishes, especially in the second half of the Friday game, suggests they are more than capable of providing resistance to their superior West African opposition.
It will be a quite close contest with a lot of end-to-end actions but your money should, of course, be on Nigeria winning at the end of the day.
Betting Tips
- 1X2 – Nigeria to win – 1.52
- Half-time/Full-time – 2/x – 17.00
- Half with most goals – Goals 1st Half – 2.70
Sierra Leone Team News
The Leone Stars captain Umaru Bangura will miss the game due to suspension having accumulated two yellow cards thus far.
Also, Alhaji Kamara could be set to claim a starting berth for the rematch, as a reward for his remarkable performance off the bench in Friday’s clash in which he bagged a second-half brace.
Nigeria Team News
The Eagles no. 9, Victor Osimhen, who was involved in three of his team’s goals in Benin (1 goal and 2 assists) will unfortunately not be available for the rematch due to a shoulder injury. The Napoli striker has, in fact, since returned to his club in Italy.
Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and reigning Belgian league goal king Paul Onuachu are the closest substitutes available for coach Gernot Rohr to replace Osimhen.
Meanwhile, center-back Leon Balogun and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze are expected to yet feature in the game despite going off showing signs of minor injuries in Friday’s game. The coach confirmed that winger Emmanuel Dennis has endured a swelling in his knee since the final training session before the Friday game, but the Club Brugge forward is expected to have recovered and now be available for selection on Tuesday.
Goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa didn’t make the team’s trip to Freetown for unknown reasons but the team will yet have three goalkeepers in Maduka Okoye, Daniel Akpeyi and Sebastian Osigwe to choose from in the game. In the meantime, it isn’t guaranteed that Okoye will keep his place in the squad, especially after shipping in four goals last time. A more experienced Akpeyi could rather be trusted to man the goal.
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