Nigeria will play an international friendly with Egypt early next year as coach Gernot Rohr continues to tinker the side for the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
The friendly, which the Nigeria Football Federation confirmed will be will be played in Dubai on January 9th, 2017 will be prosecuted by a sprinkling of foreign players with the majority to be made up of players from the local league.
The was a huge outcry after the list for the World Cup qualifier was released with many faulting the non-inclusion of the home-based players who had been part of previous squads.
Rohr affirmed that the home-based players were part of his plans but didn’t pick any of them because the league was on recess and he wasn’t sure of the fitness of the players.
It is expected that he will run the rule on the home based lads and some of the foreign-based players as he continues rebuilding the Super Eagles.
Some of the foreign-based players penciled down for an invitation to the game include Olanrewaju Kayode who has been in great form for his Austrian side Austria Vienna and Hapoel Beer Sheva attacker Anthony Nwakaeme.
2013 Africa Cup of Nations winners Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba are also in line for call-ups for the international friendly against Egypt. With the Super Eagles out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Rohr will use the period before the game against Cameroon next August to blood more players into his squad.
Nigeria is top of Group B of the final leg of qualifiers for the 2018 Fifa World Cup with maximum points after beating Algeria 3-1 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo last weekend.
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