Super Eagles AFCON 2024 warmup matches: Who will they play?

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are currently camping in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ahead of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Ivory Coast.

In preparation towards winning a fourth AFCON title, the Eagles will play two friendlies behind closed doors on Sunday (today) and Monday (tomorrow).

Out of the 25 players invited for the AFCON tournament, 24 have arrived in camp and have undergone a series of training sessions with coach Jose Peseiro and his crew as they fine-tune final preparations for their opening match against Equatorial Guinea on 14th January.

Who will the Super Eagles play?

Peseiro’s men will take on an unnamed local side in their first friendly game on Sunday. The match will kick off at 4 pm local time in the United Arab Emirates, and 1 pm Nigerian time.

And on Monday, the Super Eagles will play their second test match in Abu Dhabi, with kick-off time also scheduled at 4 pm local time.

Their opponent will be fellow AFCON side Guinea as they finish up final preparations for the tournament in Ivory Coast.

We battle #Guinea in a Pre-Afcon friendly on Monday 8th January 2024 in Abu Dhabi#SoarSuperEagles #LetsDoItAgain #TotalEnergiesAfcon2023 pic.twitter.com/5cL4CVulpr

— ?? Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 6, 2024

It is understood that this final preparatory game will give a lot more insight to the team the Eagles gaffer will start next Sunday against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON Group A match.

Probable Super Eagles starting lineup

Coach Jose Peseiro has given an indication of how his starting XI for the AFCON will look like by his first selection for today’s test friendly against the unnamed local Dubai club.

In defense, Peseiro has chosen Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi to start as fullbacks, while Chidozie Awaziem and Calvin Bassey in central defense.

In the middle of the pack, Frank Onyeka and Joe Aribo will combine in today’s match.

However, in the attacking department, Real Sociedad striker Sadiq Umar will get the nod.

The rest of the players who will take part in the first test friendly encounter were not made public, but Yusuf Alhassan is also expected to start in the midfield while the likes of Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Ademola Lookman join Sadiq in the forward ranks.

It is worth mentioning that Nigeria have struggled in friendlies, they have one win in their last 16 friendlies (W1-D7-L8), and will look to pick up a win against the Dubai club today, and Guinea by Monday.