At a Friday morning Peak Breakfast with Rohr session held in Lagos, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr announced that Nigeria will play five friendly matches to prepare for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Cameroon in June next year.
Rohr told his audience Friday morning that the March 2019 fixture against Group E's whipping boys Seychelles slated to hold inside the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba is a must-win tie for the Super Eagles stressing that: “I want Nigeria to finish top of the group, irrespective of what Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the Libyans do with themselves in the other titanic clash slated for Sfax in Tunisia.
“We will play to beat Seychelles very well,” he said.
Rohr didn't give any hint about who the Eagles' other opponent in March will be, although he was confident that the team will play one friendly in March, where he hopes to make as many as six changes required for such friendly ties.
Asked why he has shunned home-based players from his shortlist for matches, Rohr said it wasn't quite correct to say he doesn't like home-based players, insisting that since he joined Nigeria as the country's head coach, he has invited 20 players from the domestic league.
According to Rohr, not less than 10 of them are currently in Europe playing in some leagues which he has been monitoring.
“I do not know if some agents and scouts are always waiting for us to invite the home-based to the Super Eagles camp or playing them before taking them to Europe. No less than 10 out of the 20 that I have invited are in Europe,” Rohr joked during the Peak Breakfast with Rohr session in Lagos on Friday.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
