20th November, 2012
There are strong indications that Nigeria’s Super Eagles will play the national team of Catalunya in an international friendly game in January, just few days to their campaign in the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa.
According to the online edition of mundodeportivo.com, which is widely regarded as the mouthpiece of Catalunya, a region in Spain, the match is scheduled for 2 January, 2013 at Cornella-El Prat Stadium.
The friendly match at Cornella-El Prat Stadium, the home ground of Espanyol, is one of the tune up games to prepare Stephen Keshi and his team for next year’s African Cup of Nations.
This won’t be the first meeting between both national teams. The biggest win recorded by Catalunya was against a makeshift Nigeria’s selection in December, 1998.
At least 12 players from Barcelona – including Victor Valdes, Puyol, Pique, Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas are expected to be called up by coach Johan Cruyff for the tie against the West Africans.
Meanwhile, Keshi says his Nations Cup squad are around 75 percent complete, with two months to the kick off of the tournament.
The Nigeria coach has embarked on a gradual re-tooling of the Eagles after the team failed to qualify for the 2012 edition under Samson Siasia.
With a testing friendly over Venezuela successfully prosecuted this month, Keshi says his team are close to completion.
“We are still building, but I would say we are about seventy five percent complete,” Keshi told kickoffnigeria.com on Tuesday. “We know about 75 to 80 percent of the players that will make it.”
Most watchers have pointed to the defence as the major area requiring work in the build-up to the continental showpiece, but the former defender says the door remains open in all areas
“The remaining twenty-five percent includes the entire team. We have an almost settled squad now, but if we see a very good player in any position, we’ll give him the chance to show that he deserves a place in the squad.”