Saudi Arabia vs Super Eagles will face off in an international friendly at Estádio Municipal de Portimão in Portugal.
The match has been scheduled to kick off by 5pm (GMT+1) on Friday, October 13, 2023.
This will be the second time the two national teams will be meeting since their pre-World Cup friendly in 2010 which ended goalless.
Italian manager Roberto Mancini left his role with the former World Champions to join the exciting project of the Saudis after the exit of Herve Rernard and he is currently searching for his first win since arriving about two months ago.
The former Manchester City manager spent five years in charge of Italy and won the Euros with them but failed to qualify them for the World Cup.
In his first two games, Saudi Arabia took on Costa Rica and South Korea in a pair of friendlies in Newcastle. They lost the first 3-1 and then fell 1-0 to South Korea, extending their winless run to four matches, not including the Arabian Gulf Cup.
On the other hand, Nigeria come into this month’s FIFA International window having wrapped up their AFCON qualifiers with a comprehensive 6-0 win over Sao Tome & Principe in Uyo last month.
Consequently, Jose Peseiro’s men are making use of this mini-break by facing Saudi Arabia and Mozambique before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers get underway in November.
Saudi Arabia shocked eventual Champions Argentina in their World Cup opener in Qatar last year, but they still eventually got knocked out at the group stages.
Meanwhile, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and lost to Algeria, Costa Rica and Portugal in friendlies — despite winning their first two AFCON qualifying games.
In 2023, the Super Eagles were also beaten by Guinea-Bissau in Abuja, but they have bounced back with three successive wins to wrap up the qualification series in style.
Saudi Arabia vs Super Eagles team news
The Saudi Arabian team all ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League, including Salem Al-Dawsari who is the top scorer with 21 goals in 78 appearances. Roberto Mancini has named 31 players for this fixture, meaning there are plenty of options for him to choose from.
Nigeria have gone full-strength for this break, but a number of players will be missing due to injuries and visa issues. Taiwo Awoniyi and Gift Orban will be missing this game, while goalkeepers Ojo Olorunleke and Adebayo Adeleye might not get to make the trip owing to visa problems.
Maduka Okoye returns to Super Eagles 🔥🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/8m37KP5DEV
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) October 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen, who is the team’s leading goal scorer, will be hoping to add to his impressive goalscoring record of 20 goals in just 26 appearances for the Super Eagles.
Probable Line ups – Saudi Arabia vs Super Eagles
Saudi Arabia
Al Owais (GK); Al-Shahrani, Al Bulaihi, Tambakti, Abdulhamid; Kanno, Al-Khaibari, N. Al Dawsari; S. Al-Dawsari, Alhamddan, Ghareeb
Nigeria
Uzoho (GK); Onyemaechi, Bassey, Ajayi, Ebuehi; Lookman, Ndidi, Onyeka, Iheanacho; Osimhen, Boniface
Saudi Arabia vs Super Eagles head-to-head record
25 May 2010 – Nigeria 0-0 Saudi Arabia – Friendly
Saudi Arabia and Nigeria’s Super Eagles have only met once before, a goalless draw in a friendly in May 2010.
Saudi Arabia vs Super Eagles Odds
On most betting platforms, Super Eagles have been given the advantage to win expectedly, while the Arabians have been considered the underdogs in this clash.
On 1xbet, Nigeria has 1.84 odds to win, Saudi Arabia has 4.26 and the draw market stands at 3.58 odds.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 weeks ago
