Ahead of the international break, Nigerians are excited for the Super Eagles squad, whose release date is not too far away.
A number of players are expected to get their maiden call-up to the Nigeria national football team for both games against Sao Tome and Principe for the September 2023 international break.
34 players were given provisional invitations to the Super Eagles squad for both games and 10 of these players will be dropped for the AFCON 2023 qualifiers fixtures.
As the NFF technical committee decides on who to call, read on to see the players most likely to make the next Super Eagles squad.
Super Eagles camp for the Sao Tome game in Uyo will open on September 4th.
According to my source, the players invited have their flight tickets sent to them.
However;
– No official statement from the NFF on players invitation & venue.
– No official statement on Jose Peseiro. pic.twitter.com/JWz9LdFCyR
— Adepoju Tobi Samuel 🇳🇬 (@OgaNlaMedia) September 1, 2023
Super Eagles squad: Boniface in, Iwobi out
The Super Eagles squad could easily be made up of strikers as Nigeria's attacking pipeline is among the most fruitful in the world at the moment.
Victor Osimhen leads the line and Super Eagles stalwart Kelechi Iheanacho is making himself comfortable with Leicester City in the EFL Championship this season.
Taiwo Awoniyi has replaced “Senior Man” as the Nigerian face of the Premier League thanks to his exploits at Nottingham Forest while up and comers like Victor Boniface, Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare, Gift Orban and many more are taking European football by storm.
Balance, however, requires that the squad has all bases covered.
Nigerian national football team fans will be wary that the soon-to-be released Super Eagles squad could be light in the midfield as it has been in the past.
The injury to Alex Iwobi, who joined Fulham on transfer deadline day of the 2023/24 summer window, has made matters even worse for the NFF technical committee tasked with the selection of players.
This could see the return of Frank Onyeka to the side and the inclusion of some homegrown talent like Divine Nwachukwu of Bendel Insurance.
Boniface could get his first call-up after impressing with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the opening weeks of the 2023/24 German Bundesliga season.
It is understood that three new players were sent call-up letters for the 34-man provisional squad list.
They will keep their fingers crossed for the eventual 24-man list which is set to come out in the coming days.
Here are our predicted Super Eagles squad for the upcoming international break.
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleke, Amas Obasogie (Bendel Insurance)
Defenders: Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasımpaşa S.K.), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahçe), William Troost-Ekong (PAOK), Igoh Ogbu (Slavia Prague), Semi Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion), Kelvin Akpoguma (Hoffenheim)
Midfielders: Joe Aribo (Southampton), Wilfred Ndidi (Wilfred Ndidi), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge), Frank Onyeka (Brentford)
Attackers: Nathan Tella (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Chuba Akpom (AFC Ajax), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Victor Boniface (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan), Moses Simon (Nantes), Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest).
September 2023 Super Eagles squad to get interim manager, sources say
The September 2023 Super Eagles squad will be handled by an interim manager, according to a source from the Nigeria Football Federation.
The governing body for football in Nigeria have hit a brick wall in their discussions with Portuguese manager José Peseiro, who has delivered the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification ticket.
The former Venezuela national team manager earned $70,000 monthly as Nigeria's manager until June 2023 when his contract expired. He is being asked to lower his salary by the NFF to continue.
The Nigeria Football Federation has given Super Eagles coach, Jose Pesiero, 3-days ultimatum to accept a pay cut or quit as per Complete Sports.
"We will allow him to continue if he accepts a reduction in his $70K monthly salary and other conditions of service "
NFF Technical… pic.twitter.com/E7PxO9wsex
— Leagues Reporter (@LeaguesReporter) August 30, 2023
Both parties are disputing the financial terms of his continuity and the players on the 34-man list of invitees are unsure of who will handle the lucky ones among them when the international break begins.
However, a source from inside the NFF claims that while discussions are still ongoing with Peseiro, an interim manager will be appointed to handle the Super Eagles squad for the games which will take place on 22 and 26 September in Nigeria and Sao Tome respectively.
Among the names mentioned are Augustine Eguavoen, who led the team to the 2021 AFCON.
Goalball Live will bring updates on the decision of the NFF as soon as it is made.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 months ago
