Nigerian national team coach Gernot Rohr does not expect any new faces in the squad when the Super Eagles begin their World Cup qualification campaign.
The 2022 World Cup qualification campaign will begin in June for the Super Eagles, who managed to complete a successful round of the Afcon qualifiers following a 3-0 win over Lesotho. This victory was picked up at the Teslim Balogun Stadium after a first-half goal from Victor Osimhen and second-half strikes from Oghenekaro Etebo and Paul Onuachu.
The focus of the team is the place in the world championship, but the fans were not tied to this one entertainment. They can take advantage of the diversity of options that 1xbet code for 2021 offers. Contemplating casino games to Fantasy Football, fun is guaranteed when testing your knowledge and skill in betting. But it is understandable that the team keeps its focus on the World Cup, the effort of the players has had a lot of effect on the field.
The national team against the Central African Republic, Liberia, and Cape Verde in the group C of the qualification matches. Nigeria were very much expected to get a win over Lesotho, but the manner of the victory has given a huge belief amongst the team. The formal Gabon coach is now hopeful that the national team will be able to preserve the form shown over the last few games even in the World Cup qualification matches. Of course, the fixtures in June are likely to be much more difficult, but a good start is imperative if Nigeria want to reach the World Cup finals for a fourth consecutive edition.
Even though the Afcon qualifiers have just concluded, attention has already shifted to the World Cup qualifiers and the squad that Rohr is likely to call up for these matches. One should not be prepared to expect any surprises in the squad, as Rohr is planning to call up an unchanged squad.
After having seen Nigeria come up with solid performances against Benin and Lesotho, it would be unfair for the manager to change the line-up at this moment. The back-to-back wins were the first for the national team since beating Lesotho back in November. The decision to not include any new players should not come as a surprise, as Rohr stuck with a familiar squad for the matches in the Afcon qualifiers. Anayo Iwuala was the only new face in the Super Eagles squad to have featured in the games, while Adeleke Adekunle and John Noble were kept as unused substitutes.
The match against Lesotho also witnessed Ahmed Musa making his appearance. This drew a lot of criticism, as the former Leicester City player has been starved of opportunities in the first team of late due to a lack of action. He has been a free agent since being released by the foxes and, so far, he has found it difficult to find a club that would accommodate his needs.
It was not long ago that Gernot Rohr was on the verge of getting sacked from his job following the loss to Algeria in a friendly match. Since then, the Afcon qualifiers in November witnessed more poor performances from the team, as Nigeria drew 4-4 against Sierra Leone followed by a goalless draw in the subsequent meeting against Keister’s men.
Apart from the wins over Benin and Lesotho, Rohr will be especially pleased that Nigeria have kept three successive clean sheets in competitive games. This is the first time they have kept three successive clean sheets since 2015.