Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face Algeria’s Fennec Foxes on match day two of 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying looking to record successive wins that will see them retain top spot in Group B.
The team is looking sharp after two training sessions in Uyo and seem set to produce the goods on Saturday evening at the ‘Nest of Champions’.
Anyone who thinks the game will be straightforward and easy for Nigeria may however have a surprise coming as the Algeria’s Foxes are battle-hardened competitors.
In Riyad Mahrez, Yacine Brahimi, Nabil Bentaleb and Islam Slimani, Algeria coach, Georges Leekens have extravagantly-talented individuals who can turn a game on its head in a six pence.
So, there seems to be a consensus that the game will be tough, pulsating, exciting and not one for the faint-hearted but how can the Super Eagles claim bragging rights today?
Here are six things they must do to win.
Start strong
Leekens believes the defence is the weak link of the Super Eagles.
He has charged his lads to produce a blistering start at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium with the hope of getting an early goal.
“The defence of Nigeria has some weaknesses that needs to be taken into account.
“To achieve a good result (in Uyo), we have to score one or more goals.
“(When that happens), they will (try) to the attack (us ceaselessly).
“We have to start the game well and also try to stop the Nigeria attacks,” Leekens said.
The Super Eagles must start strong against the Algerians to avoid heartbreak.
Stop Mahrez
Algeria is by no means a one man team but Mahrez is unarguably the cock of the walk as far as the Fennec Foxes are concerned.
Lekeens is likely to play a 4-3-3 formation with Antalyaspor man, Raïs M'Bolhi almost certain to start in goal.
Mohamed Khoutir Ziti, Hicham Belkaroui, Aïssa Mandi and Faouzi Ghoulam appear set to receive the nod from Leekens to start in defence for the Foxes with captain Carl Medjani likely to be saddled with his usual duty of playing just in front of the back four.
Saphir Taïder and Nabil Bentaleb will start in defensive midfield while the dangerous trio of Mahrez, Brahimi and Slimane will coruscate in attack.
Stopping such stellar talent in full flow is an almost impossible task but Cameroon managed to do it last month.
The blue-print adopted by the Indomitable Lions in Blida was straight forward, ugly at times but ultimately successful.
Frustrating tactics (from the point of view of the Algerians) in the shape of doubling up on Mahrez and giving him no time on the ball worked to perfection.
When Mahrez plays to his full potential, the Foxes represent poetry in motion.
Stifle the Leicester City pin up boy and the tune becomes different.
Avoid defensive mistakes
On match day one against Zambia, the Super Eagles were cruising in Ndola following first half goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi until a moment of shock in the 71st minute.
Kenneth Omeruo inexplicably failed to clear a routine cross and the lurking veteran, Collins Mbesuma fired home past Carl Ikeme with frightening force.
The Zambians were suddenly back in the game and the Super Eagles had to rely on the heroics of Ikeme and a large slice of good fortune to close out the win.
On Saturday, mistakes against the Foxes (who arguably have better strikers than the Chipolopolo) will be punished ruthlessly.
To win on Saturday, we must play a near perfect game, especially in defence.
Take our chances
Algeria have kept clean sheets in two of their last three matches and are famously well-organized at the rear.
The last time the Super Eagles played in Uyo (against Tanzania), they frittered away a plethora of chances before winning 1-0 in the end.
Algeria have deadly talent upfront and one goal may not be enough to guarantee maximum points for Nigeria.
The Super Eagles will create chances on Saturday, but those opportunities must be put away.
Feed Iheanacho
There is a popular maxim as it relates to a Nigerian footballer, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, ‘feed the Yak and he will score’.
The ‘Yak’ has since retired from international football but one man who seems to be following in his footsteps is Manchester City attacker, I heanacho
heanacho is the man of the moment and he seems to take things up a gear when playing for the Super Eagles.
His record is fearsome, four goals in six internationals, representing a goals per game ratio of 0.7.
Under Gernot Rohr, Iheanacho is thriving as he has scored in all matches that the German has managed.
Iheanacho is capable of the spectacular (as he showed with his belter against Tanzania in Uyo two months ago) and the sublime (as exemplified by his consummate finish against Zambia in Ndola last month).
The general feeling is that with adequate and quality service, Iheanacho will deliver against the Foxes
Crowd must play their part
The Crowd in Uyo when Nigeria beat Tanzania in a Nations Cup qualifier on October 3, was brilliant.
It was basically a dead rubber as Nigeria could no longer qualify for the tournament irrespective of the result but the fans turned out in their numbers and cheered to the rafters.
Even in the face of numerous misses by the Eagles’ attackers, the crowd did not despair and eventually got due reward in the shape of Iheanacho’s outrageous winner.
Nigerian football fans can be notoriously fickle, known to turn against their team in the past for poor showings.
Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi told supersport.com earlier in the week that, ‘this team is populated by a lot of young players’.
Youngsters like Iwobi, Iheanacho, Agbo and others may struggle to deal with the reactions of a hostile home crowd which could ultimately hamper their performances.
The Foxes are more experienced and could make life complicated for the Eagles, especially if they manage to nick the first goal.
In the event of that scenario playing out, the crowd must get behind the players and not on their backs, to successfully carry them to safety.
Credit: supersports.com