Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has said he expects the team newbies such as Maduka Okoye, Joshua Maja, Emmanuel Dennis, and Joe Aribo to prove their worth with the national team in tonight’s friendly in Dnipro.
All four players will be expected to make their debut against the Yellow-Blue side in Dnipro tonight.
“We have some new and young players here so it is a good opportunity to see what they can bring to the team,” Rohr said.
“This game is a big opportunity for us to begin our build-up towards the 2021 AFCON and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
“Some of our key players retired from the team after the last AFCON in Egypt and some others are not here owing to injuries and other issues.
“We hope for a good game against a very solid team playing at home.”
Newly invited goalkeeper Maduka Okoye showed he has what it takes to be a good goalkeeper in the future and it’s looking like he will play some part in today’s game.
Josh Maja of Bordeaux impressed with his pace and ability to finish wisely during the drills with strikers in the team’s training session, his link-up play is also a lot better than most forward in the team.
Club Brugge Dennis Bonaventure was the closest to Samuel Chukwueze and Samuel Kalu in terms of dribbles completed in training. However, he was guilty of not releasing the ball early and also his final balls were a bit rusty during the session. A very lively player though.
Among them all, the one that caught attention was Rangers of Scotland midfielder Joe Aribo, he is a combative midfielder and also very good in holding the ball. Used his body to good effect with his abilities to use both legs correctly also giving him an edge. Sure to start today’s game.
Stand-in captain William Ekong added: “Ukraine is a strong team with a lot of very good players across Europe.
“I know a few of those in Italy where I play. This game is definitely going to be very tough but we will give our best and also make it very difficult for them. I believe it will be a very good game.”
The match will be broadcast live on SuperSports 9 by 7.30 pm Nigerian time.
