Flying Eagles of Nigeria head coach Aliyu Zubairu has called to camp 30 players for a two-match tour of Egypt later this month.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, the seven-time African U-20 champions will clash with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo in friendly matches on February 25 and February 27.
This year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, with the four top-placed teams qualifying to represent the continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27 to October 19.
The Flying Eagles, champions of Africa in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015, won the WAFU-B U-20 Championship held in Lome, Togo in October last year to qualify for the U-20 AFCON finals in Cote d’Ivoire.
They defeated Ghana’s Black Satellites 3-1 in the final match.
The two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up, in 1989 and 2005, came within touching distance of the semi-finals at the last FIFA U-20 World Cup, before losing narrowly to Korea Republic after extra’time.
FLYING EAGLES INVITED FOR CAMPING FOR EGYPT FRIENDLIES:
Goalkeepers:
Ifeanyi Harcourt (Sporting Lagos); Light Emerenonye (Diamond Academy); Abubakar Rufai (Mavlon FC)
Defenders:
Adamu Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors); Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United); Kenneth Igbokwe (Enugu Rangers); Haruna Aliyu (Wikki Tourists); Musa Ademu (Wireless FC); Shamsudeen Muhammad (Mavlon FC); Ibrahim Abdullahi; Shamsudeen Ishaq (Grassrunner FC); Steven Jolomi (Mavlon FC)
Midfielders:
Raphael Oyebanji (Shuffle Select FC); Mohammed Ibrahim (Niger Tornadoes); Kizito Opara (Campus Academy); Alabi Sulaiman Jojo (El-Kanemi Warriors); Sulaiman Abubakar (Diamond Academy); Shafiu Adamu (Wikki Tourists); Cletus Simon (Mavlon FC)
Forwards:
Bidemi Amole (Real Sapphire Academy); Clinton Japhet (Enyimba FC); Matthew Chukwusa (Morack Academy); Nasiru Salihu (El-Kanemi Warriors); Divine Olisha (Fostar Academy); Jerry Salami (Aspire Academy); Oluwaseyi Akinfenwa (Real Sapphire Academy); Shola Adelami (Ikorodu City); Abdulrahaman Ishaq (Sport Supply Academy); Ezekiel Anthony (Aspire Academy); Sodiq Olalekan Adewunmi (Jaguar Sports FC)
