Nigeria’s home based Super Eagles side will on Friday face Enyimba in their final group game of the 2017 NPFL Pre-Season Invitational tournament in Kano.
Both teams drew their respective opening games against Plateau United and must dig deep to produce a winner for Sunday’s final match. Salisu Yusuf’s CHAN Eagles will be without defender Adeleye Olamilekan who was stretchered off in the opening minutes of the Eagles’ draw against United on Wednesday.
Yusuf has however hinted of wholesale changes to his side as they continue to prepare for next January’s African Nations Championships. “We will get another set of players to play the next game so that we can compare them with the players that went to WAFU Cup and CHAN qualifiers,” said Yusuf to www.aclsports.com
“The aim of this competition is not to win but to test players and see what they can do with us. We will give them the opportunity to display what they have for us,” added the former Enyimba coach.
Enyimba will be without defender Uche John for Friday’s 3pm game after he was sent off in Monday’s draw with Plateau United. Ifeanyi Anaemena is expected to take his place. In Friday night’s game, hosts Kano Pillars will also have it all to do against MFM. Both teams need outright victory to reach the final but a score draw will see MFM through.
The Church Boys had just three players on their substitutes bench in their first game due to registration issues but still earned a creditable draw against Akwa United. All four matches at the tournament so far have ended in stalemate.