16th November, 2012
With less than 48 hours before Nigeria’s U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, take on Mali’s Junior Eagles in African Junior Championship first leg qualifier match in Calabar, Cross River State, assistant coach of the team, Emmanuel Amunike, has declared that the team are ready for their opponents.
The former Super Eagles winger, while speaking early today on Brila FM, said that all the players in camp are in high spirits and ready to beat Mali in Calabar to enable them make the second leg billed for Bamako in a fortnight a mere formality.
He said: “All the players we have in camp are match-fit and in high spirits ahead of the match at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Our aim is not only to win but to win with a high goal margin to make our job easier in Bamako, Mali.”
On whether the change of kick-off time from 4pm to 2pm would affect the Golden Eaglets when they play on Sunday, the team’s medical doctor, Dr. Ayodeji Olarinoye assured that the players would be able to cope despite the expected hot weather.
“The good thing is that we have a bunch of experienced coaches and they have actually been making rooms for any change in our training programmes as we are experiencing now.
“I have no doubt that our boys would cope with the weather because they are already used to the weather in Calabar,” Olarinoye said.
—Bamidele Olowosagba