Early in June, Nigeria will trade tackles with South Africa and the Benin Republic in matchdays three and four of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will be all out for victory against the Bafana Bafana and the Squirrels, having dropped crucial points against Lesotho and Zimbabwe last year.
Head coach Finidi George will be expected to submit the list of players he would need to prosecute these important games in the next few days.
In this piece, however, Soccernet.ng‘s Imhons Erons looks to flash the light on the players who have been excellent in recent weeks for their clubs and could get the job done for Nigeria.
Finidi was in the Jose Peseiro-led coaching crew that decided on making Stanley Nwabali Nigeria’s first choice at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
After seeing how impressive Nwabali was at the AFCON, Finidi would likely continue with the Chippa United goalie.
Maduka Okoye has been out of the Super Eagles for a while, even missing the AFCON.
But the Udinese goalkeeper is Nigeria’s only shot-stopper playing regularly for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Okoye has been a consistent and impressive feature for Udinese in Serie A, and it is about time he is welcomed back into the national fold.
Francis Uzoho remains a competent backup for the Super Eagles.
Zaidu Sanusi is still injured, leaving Finidi with the choice of Jamilu Collins and Bruno Onyemaechi at left-back.
This is also an area where Finidi can show his grasp of talents in the local scene, with an exciting NPFL left-back capable of forcing his way to recognition.
Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel can continue to push themselves for the right-back role until Tyronne Ebuehi returns from injury.
With William Troost-Ekong out injured, the experience of Semi Ajayi and Kenneth Omeruo cannot be underestimated.
Calvin Bassey is one of Peseiro’s best gifts to Nigeria at centre-back, and the Fulham man should be one of the first names on the team list.
Finidi invited Gabriel Osho for the friendlies against Ghana and Mali in March, but an injury forced out the Luton Town star.
He is back from the sidelines and has made a couple of appearances in the Premier League, which is enough reason for Finidi to eye him again.
Finidi gave Tanimu Benjamin his Super Eagles bow against Ghana, with the former Bendel Insurance man doing enough to merit another call.
Chidozie Awaziem can sit this one out after his blunder against Mali, while there will be more opportunities for Gent’s Jordan Torunarigha and Slavia Prague’s Igoh Ogbu.
After an excellent AFCON, there is no way any coach is overlooking Brentford’s Frank Onyeka.
Wilfred Ndidi has just won the Championship with Leicester, while Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge are also closing on the league title in Belgium.
Both players have been prominent in their clubs’ successes and will look to transfer their form to the national team.
Ndidi’s presence, however, means that Royal Antwerp dynamo Alhassan Yusuf misses out.
Further upfield, Fulham ace Alex Iwobi remains Nigeria’s number-one creative engine.
The Super Eagles are still short of quality options in the centre of the pack, and it is a void Rizespor’s Ibrahim Olawoyin can fill with excellence.
He’s Nigeria’s best player in Turkey after Paul Onuachu and has been a delight to watch in the Super Lig all season.
On the home front, Finidi knows Ikenna Cooper like the back of his hands, as the midfielder was a key cog in Enyimba’s drive to the NPFL title last season.
He has been a constant feature this term as well, and he looks ready to step up to the Super Eagles.
Against Ghana and Mali, Finidi deployed a setup that gave little room to wing-play, but the new coach knows that cannot be a long-term strategy with excellent options available.
Samuel Chukwueze has been excellent for AC Milan in recent weeks, while Ademola Lookman and his goals are some of the reasons Atalanta are flying in Serie A.
Nathan Tella made key contributions to Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga win, and a good coach should find ways to get the best out of the former Burnley winger.
With Moses Simon not expected to return for this game, Chidera Ejuke and Chuba Akpom present attacking options for Finidi.
However, Akpom has been a super-sub for Ajax Amsterdam, and he could be a wild card from the bench against the South Africans.
Victor Osimhen remains Nigeria’s number-one tool for tormenting opposition defences, and thankfully, the Napoli striker is ending the season in majestic form.
Victor Boniface was not at the AFCON, but he returned in style to power Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title – the club’s first in history.
Paul Onuachu is doing remarkable things for Trabzonspor in Turkey, but expect Finidi to call Kelechi Iheanacho instead.
Iheanacho did not feature much for Leicester City after the AFCON, but his quality is not in doubt.
Cyriel Dessers is one of the highest-scoring Nigerian strikers in Europe at the moment, and he must have warmed his way into Finidi’s heart with his good showing against the Black Stars.
Suleiman Sani has delivered several eye-catching displays for Akwa United in the NPFL, and his six goals in his last eight games make him a compelling option for Finidi’s squad.
NB: Which player would you like to see make the Super Eagles squad for South Africa, and Benin Republic qualifiers? Leave your comments below.
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One of Akor Adams and Terem Moffi IS missing out. I would rather pull out Desserts who isn't so convincing with Super Eagles.
IF FINIDI GEORGE BASED GIS INVITATION OF PLAYERS ON POTENTIAL, QUALITY & MERIT (without sentiment), THEN HE WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED WITH SUPER EAGLE. BUT IF HE BASED HIS INVITATION OF PLAYERS ON EGO, SENIORITY, UNFIT EXPERIENCE PLAYER/LEADERSHIP/CAPTAINSHIP OR INVITE PLAYERS TO PLEASED/PACIFY SOMEBODY, THEN HE WILL FAIL WOEFULLY MORE THAN PAST LOCAL COACHES.
*** FINIDI SHOULD LEAVE OUT ANY UNFIT, INCONSISTENT, BENCHWARMER, IRRELEVANT, IRREGULAR PLAYERS IN SUPER EAGLE TEAM. HE SHOULD LEAVE OUT UNFIT EXPERIENCE PLAYERS/CAPTAIN/LEADER OUT OF SUPER EAGLE.
**** FINIDI SHOULD SELECT A NEW FITTED LEADER/CAPTAIN (i.e. a captain that will be relevant on the field not on the bench).
AS AHMED MUSA NOT RELEVANT on the field of play for both club & county, IHEANACHO, ARIBO, SADIQ UMAR( a regular benchwarmer in respective club sides) and ZAIDU, TROOST-EKONG, EBUEHI still injured.
MY PREDICTION SQUAD FOR W/C QUALIFIERS....
1. NWABALI - OKOYE- ADELEYE
2. OSAYI - AINA-
3. COLLINS - ONYEBUACHI
4. NDIDI- ONYEKA- ONYEDIKA - AL-HASSAN
5. OMERUO- OLISA NDAH
6. AJAYI-- AWAZIEM-- G.OSHO
7. LOOKMAN- CHUKWUEZE- TELLA
8. BONIFACE-MOFFI- G.ORBAN
9. OSIMHEN- DESSERS
10. IWOBI-AKPOM- OLAWOYIN
11. SIMON- EJUKE
Aribo is not a benchwarmer. In the right set up, he has that technical ability that we lack in the midfield bar Iwobi. Orban is a benchwarmer in Lyon
MY WORRY IS THAT SINCE THE TAKING OVER OF ROHR, NIGERIA S/E HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FLY WITH THEIR WINGS, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE SUPER EAGLES HAVE BEEN LACKING GOOD QUALITY WING CROSSES FROM ALL OUR SO CALLED WINGERS HENCE OUR INEFFECTIVENESS AT SCORING GOAL COS OUR PLAYERS THAT ARE GOOD ON AIR HAVE BEEN LEFT LARGELY FRUSTRATED.
WE HAVE NOT FULLY UTILIZED THE AERIAL PROWESS OF "OSSY AIR" OSIMHEN AND ONUACHU, Finnidi should find solution to this gap, no sentiment CHUKWUEZE is not good at lobbing in the ball, and Simon, our full backs are poor either so the coach should look outside the box for these positions maybe not immediately but this is a noticeable gap in our team, another fault is the dearth of dead ball takers we don't have any and long range shot takers like late Mudashiru LAWAL.
I learnt Onyedika is doing that at Club level, he can be encouraged, Nwakali is a good creative midfielder also.
Finnidi should decide how he wants eagles to play but should not forget how he used to cross ball to Rashidi Yekinni, he must replicate it.
Finidi will certainly succeed if he based his invitation to players on current form and contributions to their respective clubs. Have a clear pattern of play and read the game as it progresses. Play an attacking football with possessions. Invite players that can execute your style of play/game. Instill discipline among the team.
good jod, i think finidi get the likes of udinise player Isaac success, eze, olise and brigton deffender.
Terem moffi supposed to be in the list instead of all this home base
i remember a friendly game against Benin vs the 1996 Olympics football gold winner. results was
Benin 5 Nigeria 1
so any team no matter highly talented.if dey don't camp properly before playing a well camped bad team . could lose the game .
answer is if eagles don't play a solid team before playing south Africa or rohr Benin,the results could. be funny to write here.
Pls Finidi George shout draw and convince our players abroad to play for Nigeria
DOMINIC SOLANKE- FC BOURNEMOUTH
MICHAEL OLISE- CRYSTAL PALACE
EBERECHI EZE-CRYSTAL PALACE
How i wish finidi can convince michael oliseh to play for eagles visit uk have a chart with him convince him . He is the missing link in our attack. He can cross
Shoot and dribble/ assist...an upgrade to chukwueze
I want to welcome Finidi to the job and remind him that the time to work and reward Nigerians for the convince they have in him is NOW
Finidi is very qualified for the job and anything short of brilliant performanced is unacceptable. Finidi George is not strange to good football as he had played and won the prestigious UEFA champions League, AFCON and even participated at the world cup.
On players' selection, Fnidi should invite and field players base on current form, commitment, loyalty to national course, etc. He should never be afraid to try new players. Good home based players should, as a matter of deliberate policy. be looked at with a view to featuring them. I need not remind him that he was home based when he started commanding regular shirt in the super eagles.
George Finidi is known for discipline and respect for constituted authority. He should cultivate and nuture this virtue in the national team. I will be failing in my duty as a patriotic Nigerian and super eagles' ardent supporter if I fail to remind him what indiscipline has done this country. The case of Etim Esien readily comes to mind.
Finally, Finidi should be reminded that no player plays the round leather for life. As result, he should start looking out for young and talented players all over the world to replace our aging ones.
I wish Finidi good success and should note that his success will put paid to the employment of foreign coaches whose traing and knowledge of the game cannot actually be said to be better than those of our local coaches.