The Super Eagles intensified their preparations for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde with another training session on Sunday morning without the eight players based in the UK.
It’s almost like a new team that participated in yesterday’s session with seven players named in the starting line-up against Liberia not spotted during the workout.
They are United Kingdom-based sextet Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo, Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, and Chelsea academy product, Ola Aina who all started the 2-0 win versus Liberia. They have returned to their respective clubs.
An eighth player, Watford midfielder, Oghenekaro Etebo, has been barred from traveling to Cape Verde, a red-listed country.
Yesterday’s workout held at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, an artificial turf, was the team’s final training session on Nigerian soil before their trip to Cape Verde.
The Nigeria Football Federation and manager, Gernot Rohr are trying to ensure that the Super Eagles players train under similar circumstances as the Adérito Sena Stadium, where Tuesday’s game will be played, has an artificial playing surface.