The Golden Eaglet of Nigeria yesterday arrived Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic for the second leg of their Africa U-17 qualifiers against their counterparts from Niger, after winning the first leg 1-0 in Abuja.
Two weeks ago, the Manu Garba lead lads wasted lot of chances to make the return leg tie a formality. Ahead of Saturday’s tie, Owngoalnigeria.com Nigeria Under-17 expert, Ahmed Ishaya brings to you, the four players the coach will be banking on to secure progression for Nigeria into the next round of qualifiers.
1. Adebayo Adeleke (Goalkepper)
Super talented and highly rated by the coach, who described him as the best shot stopper he has seen at U-17 level, The 16 year old will no doubt know that a clean sheet is the minimum requirement, hence the coaches are banking on him to be at his best against Niger in Niamey.
2. AbdulJabar Sani
The captain has recovered from a knock picked up in the first leg, and in a game where they are going to play against a crowd that is expected to be hostile towards them, his leadership qualities will be put to test as the coaches will be relying on him to rally his troops in Niamey.
3. Nazifi Yahaya
The fox in the box for the Manu Garba freshly assembled squad during their friendly games. He was wasteful in front of goal against Niger in Abuja, since after the game he has been undergoing separate coaching on finishing and the coaches will be hoping he perfects all he was taught when they take to the pitch against Niger on Saturday.
4. Usman “Babalolo” Musa
Scorer of the lone goal against Niger Republic in the first leg tie,Coach Manu Garba will be hoping he reenact more of the same by scoring early like he did in Abuja just after two minutes. Known for his tenacity and persistent when it comes to running behind defenders. His combination with Yahaya was a headache to the backline of the Nigeriens in the first leg.
