It was a full house of players as the Super Eagles Team B put finishing touches to their preparations for Tuesday night’s friendly game with Atletico Madrid with the notable exception of AS Roma of Italy’s Sadiq Umar who was conspicuously missing from the team.
The gangly striker was a revelation in the Nigeria U-23 team that won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and also had a good season with his Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda, where he was on loan. Umar was expected to add bite to the largely home-based team which will face the Spaniards.
Head coach Salisu Yusuf directed proceedings with goalkeepers’ trainers Pionetti Enrico and Alloy Agu taking the goalkeepers through their paces.
The Nwakali brothers Chidiebere and Kelechi, Norway-based Ahmed Usman as well as Katsina United’s Destiny Ashade impressed the fairly large crowd which thronged the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium to see the team in training.
Goalkeepers Olufemi Thomas and Olorunleke Ojo also demonstrated their readiness to stop Atletico Madrid’s highly-rated attacking line which includes Fernando Torres, Gameiro and Borja Garces who just recently won the Europa League.
Players in camp for Monday evening’s training session were: Olufemi Kayode (Lobi Stars), Olorunleke Ojo (Akwa United), Olufemi Thomas (Rangers International), Musa Muhammed (Lokomotiv Plovdiv), Stanley Okorom (MFM FC), Ebube Duru (Lobi Stars), Ikouwem Utin (Enyimba FC), Adeleye Olamilekan (FC IfeanyiUbah), Austin Opara (MFM FC), Isiaka Oladuntoye (Enyimba FC), Chinedu Ajana (Katsina United), Raphael Ayagwa (Plateau United), Destiny Ashadi (Katsina United), Kelechi Nwakali (MVV Maastricht, Netherlands), Alhassan Ibrahim (FK Austrian Wien), Chidiebere Nwakali (Aberdeen FC, Scotland), Usman Mohammed (Norway), Dayo Ojo (Sunshine Stars), Emem Eduok (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey), Tosin Omoyele (Plateau United), Kadiri Samadi (Lobi Stars), Ibrahim Alhassan (Kano Pillars).