Arrival date for Nwabali and Sadiq revealed ahead of Super Eagles' first training session in Abidjan

The arrival of Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and Real Sociedad striker Sadiq Umar has been confirmed ahead of the national team’s first training session for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Nigeria is set to face the Cheetahs on Thursday, November 14, at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in a crucial match that could secure their qualification for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.

With 10 points from four matches, Nigeria currently leads Group D, and a draw will be enough to guarantee their spot in the tournament. 

However, Benin, sitting second in the group with six points, must win the game to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Interim head coach Austin Eguavoen has called up 23 players for the match, including three goalkeepers, seven defenders, six midfielders, and seven forwards.

The Super Eagles began arriving in camp on Monday, with key players such as AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Amas Obasogie, Raphael Onyedika, Frank Onyeka, Bruno Onyemaechi, Gabriel Osho, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru among the first to join.

By Tuesday afternoon, the camp saw an additional influx of players, including Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Ademola Lookman, William Troost-Ekong, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Victor Collins, Alex Iwobi, and Alhassan Yusuf, bringing the number of players in camp to twenty-one.

While the Super Eagles are scheduled to begin their preparations on Tuesday evening, goalkeeper Nwabali and striker Umar are expected to arrive before the 7pm local time training session.

Eguavoen will hope to have a full squad by the end of Tuesday to ensure smooth preparations for the crucial encounter.

The Super Eagles will be aiming to avoid a repeat of their 2-1 loss to Benin in June, when the two teams last met in Ivory Coast.

Adeyemi Adewale

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