Peseiro invites new players as Eagles camp opens in Portugal on Tuesday
The Super Eagles camp for the international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique will open in Portugal on Tuesday.
The Eagles will take on the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, before dueling with the Mambas of Mozambique in the same city three days later.
The Eagles go into the Saudi Arabia game with a winning streak of three games after qualifying for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Peseiro had earlier named a 25-man squad for the encounter, recalling defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Bright Osayi-Samuel, as well as midfielder Alex Iwobi and forward Terem Moffi for the game. The quartet was absent from the team that defeated Sao Tome and Principe in last month’s 2023 AFCON qualifier in Uyo.
However, the Portuguese manager left out Ahmed Musa and William Troost-Ekong from the squad, while trio Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina, and Jamilu Collins pulled out due to injury thus paving the way for the return of Sadiq Umar, Tyronne Ebuehi and Chidozie Awaziem to the squad. Real Sociedad’s Umar has been invited to the friendlies in Portugal.
Umar is yet to open his goal account this season with Sociedad, the Nigerian striker has recently been linked with a January move to Manchester United, a testament to his quality.
It is important to note that the Nigerian striker had last season marked by injuries, which has influenced his current performance. However, his record at Almería is impressive, having scored 43 goals and provided 13 assists in 84 games, highlighting his ability to be effective on the attacking front.
Boavista defender, Bruno Onyemaechi, tops the players expected to land in camp early on Tuesday.
Both encounters have been arranged as tune-up games for the Eagles ahead of the commencement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, in which the three-time African champions host Lesotho’s Crocodiles in Uyo on November 17, before traveling to Harare to play Zimbabwe four days later.
