The Super Eagles will conclude their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign against Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Sunday evening.
The game is effectively a dead rubber as Nigeria have already made it to the AFCON finals in the Ivory Coast next year while the Sao Tomeans are guaranteed of finishing bottom of Group A even if they were to secure an unlikely win in Uyo. The Falcons and True Parrots were pummeled 10-0 in Agadir last June and there is expectation of another high-scoring encounter in the Akwa Ibom State capital.
This gives manager Jose Peseiro the opportunity to tweak his lineup a little bit from the regular faces and give those who do not get enough game time when called up or the fresh faces, a run in Uyo.
The attack is where the Super Eagles have their strongest assets and there is no shortage of quality names in the 23-man squad. From talisman Victor Osimhen to a return for Taiwo Awoniyi and first time call-ups for Gift Orban and Victor Boniface. Peseiro clearly has a headache of an attack that boast of a combined 17 goals less than five games into the start of the 2023-24 European football season.
Start One
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Drop OneWho's your pick?#SuperEagles #AfrosportTV #Osimhen #Awoniyi #Boniface #AFCON2023Q pic.twitter.com/dxRsFwxMnv
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 8, 2023
As started earlier, this qualifier being a dead rubber and the small threat Sao Tome and Principe pose is a chance for Peseiro to tweak things. For much of the qualifiers, the Portuguese tactician has employed a 4-4-2 using the combination of Osimhen and Iheanacho. An alternate option would be the combination of Boniface and Orban.
Both players are used to a two-man attack at club level, Boniface forging a strong partnership with Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra (now at Brighton and & Hove Albion) at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium last season which produced a combined 25 goals. Orban meanwhile struck a solid partnership with Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers since he moved to Gent in January and it has remained unshaken into the new season with both players netting 16 competitive goals so far.
Peseiro could also opt with a mix of regular faces and new names. In this case, a combo of Orban and Osimhen is a possibility or Iheanacho and Boniface. Leaving Osimhen out might be a difficult task as he is the most prominent face in the team and will also want to secure his place as the top scorer in this qualifiers. There’s also the quest of closing down on Rashidi Yekini’s all-time top scorer record for the Super Eagles and where else to do so than against a side he scored four times in the reverse fixture.
Victor Osimhen ???????? is the leading highest goalscorer in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with 7 goals.
How many goals will he score against Sao Tome and Principe in Uyo on Sunday?#Afrosport #AFCON2023 #Nigeria #SuperEagles #Osimhen pic.twitter.com/qkYaNCRbkG
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 8, 2023
Awoniyi cannot be left out in this mix as he is in superb form for Nottingham Forest, scoring three goals this season including strikes against Arsenal and Manchester United and has nine goals overall since returning from a groin injury at the the tail end of last season. The former Union Berlin man brings a lot of dynamism into the attack and will strike a good cord with either Orban or Iheanacho. Ademola Lookman cannot be left out either. Though he is get to get off the mark for Atalanta this season after scoring a career-high 15 goals last season, his versatility in playing any position in attack makes him a golden asset.
???? LIVE on Afrosport TV: https://t.co/rWFKXUtOq3
???????? Nigeria vs São Tomé and Príncipe ????????
5:00PM WAT#AfrosportTV #SuperEagles #AFCON2023Q pic.twitter.com/zuUukbMTOD
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 8, 2023
The game against Sao Tome and Principe might be the perfect chance to experiment for Peseiro but the outcome could give the former Venezuela boss a selection problem heading into the AFCON finals in four months time should his alternate attacking options turn up in Uyo and continue to impress for their European club sides.
Watch the Super Eagles against Sao Tome and Principe LIVE on Afrosport TV across Nigeria, Channel 730 on Free TV or stream online via VIDIVU TV
