Nigeria’s national U-23 team will play Congo on Sunday (today) in the final African U-23 Championship final round, first leg qualifier at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Team coach, Samson Siasia, is optimistic of a fine performance from his players, despite lamenting his strikers’ wastefulness in front of goal.
Siasia said, “I am very confident that Nigerians will see one of the best displays ever by the U-23 team.
“My players have always created chances, but our greatest problem has been to convert these chances. We have been doing a lot of work in this area and if what I have seen in training is anything to go by, then I can assure Nigerians that these boys will make them proud by scoring enough goals against the Congolese on Sunday.”
The coach expressed confidence in his squad despite the non-availability of most of the overseas-based players invited for the crucial encounter.
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Siasia disclosed that he was not caught unawares, saying he had a Plan B, since clubs were not mandated to release players for the qualifier because it was not on the FIFA calendar.
“Clubs in Europe and elsewhere are not obliged to release these players, and that is why we have been concentrating on building the team around home-based professionals,” he added.
However, former Flying Eagles striker, Umar Aminu, made the team, after convincing his club to release him for the game.
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