Awoniyi and others return as Super Eagles face Ghana and Mali in friendly matches.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will play two top-tier friendly matches later this month in Marrakech, Morocco, against Ghana’s Black Stars and Mali’s Les Aigles.
Both matches were organized by the NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport.
The showdown with Ghana’s Black Stars on Friday, March 22, is sure to rekindle memories of a 73-year-old rivalry between the West African heavyweights, which dates back to October 1951, when Nigeria defeated the then-Gold Coast 5-0 in a Jalco Cup match in Lagos.
Most recently, the two teams met in March 2022 in a two-legged play-off for a spot in that year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, with the Black Stars winning on away goals following a 1-1 aggregate draw.
Nigeria and Mali, both dubbed ‘Eagles’, last met in a friendly match at Rouen, France, in the summer of 2016. The game ended with no goals scored. In the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations competition in Durban, the Malian Eagles were defeated 1-4 by eventual winners the Super Eagles.
While Nigeria and Ghana will restart their rivalry at the Grand Stade de Marrakech at 4 p.m. Moroccan time on March 22, Nigeria and Mali will face off at the same location at 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 26.
Nigeria has retained the majority of the squad that finished second in the 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire last month, but has recalled England-based defender Jamilu Collins, Empoli FC of Italy’s Tyronne Ebuehi, and Glasgow Rangers forward Cyriel Dessers.
Wilfred Ndidi, a midfield enforcer who missed the continental house party in Cote d’Ivoire, returns from injury, while Nathan Tella of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of Turkey have new possibilities to push claims to regular shirts.
Gabriel Osho, an England-based defender, and Benjamin Tianimu, a Tanzanian, are joining the group for the first time.
See all invited players below:
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: Gabriel Osho (Luton FC, England); Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Tyronne Ebuehi (Empoli FC, Italy); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (Cardiff City, Wales); Benjamin Tianimu (Ihefu SC, Tanzania)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
Forwards: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayspor, Turkey); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England); Cyriel Dessers (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland).