Barring a last minute change of mind the interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen has picked the players who will start in today’s AFCON qualifiers game against Benin Republic in Uyo, OwnGoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal.
Eguavoen who will be in charge of the team for the games against Benin Republic later today, and away to Rwanda in three days time in Kigali has maintained the core of the players who have been part of the team for a while.
He also reverted to the 3-4-3 formation which worked for the team at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, where they went all the way to the final before losing 1-2 to the host.
Another big decision he took was to drop the team’s top striker Victor Osimhen for Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface as the arrow head of the team’s attack.
In goal Stanley Nwabali starts with the trio of Calvin Bassey, captain William Troost-Ekong and Semi playing as the three center backs like they did at the AFCON. Ola Aina will operate as the right wing back while Bruno Onyemaechi will be the left wing back .
In the midfield, the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi will anchor behind a front three of Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Boniface.
Starting XI:
Nwabali
Ekong
Bassey
Ajayi
Aina
Bruno
Ndidi
Iwobi
Lookman
Chukwueze
Boniface
