By John Essien
Ex-international Tijani Babangida has warned that a tough task precedes interim Super Eagles Coach Augustine Eguavoen ahead of the team’s 2022 World Cup qualifying tie against Ghana in March.
The former Ajax Amsterdam winger explained that Eguavoen face a tough selection headache to pick his starting strikers for the crucial encounter.
Ahead of the fixture, Nigerian strikers Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Odion Ighalo and Umar Sadiq of Saudi club Al Hilal and Spanish club UD Almeria respectively, appear to be in great form, scoring goals regularly.
Osimhen came off the bench to score and salvage a draw for the Partenopei against Cagliari in a Serie A fixture at Sardegna Arena on Monday, while Ighalo was also on target as Hilal defeated Al Nassr 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the King Cup of Champions.
Umar Sadiq grabbed a second-half brace to help Almeria defeat Mirandes in the Spanish Segunda Division fixture on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, Babangida, who won 36 caps for the Eagles had no doubts about the current form of Nigerian strikers in Europe.
“There is no doubt that the current strikers in the Super Eagles are not doing badly in Europe,” Babangida said as quoted by Completesports.
“The likes of Osimhen, Ighalo, Sadiq, and others are banging the goals for their respective clubs and it’s a sign of good things to come for the team.
“Again, this will definitely give Eguavoen a serious headache in terms of who to select for the game against Ghana. If he gets the right strikers to start then the team will pick the ticket for Qatar.”
Nigeria will target a fourth successive berth at the World Cup when they take on Ghana in a two-legged affair.
The first meeting is set for Cape Coast Sports Stadium on March 25 and the return leg planned for Moshood Abiola National Stadium on March 29.
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