Nigeria and Gabon senior males nationwide groups go to battle on Thursday night in a 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoff semi-final that guarantees to boost the roof of the Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat.
The high-stakes encounter, which supplies a second window for each groups to try to qualify for the 2026 finals within the USA, Canada and Mexico after lacking automated tickets in Africa’s 23-month qualifying marketing campaign, will see each Coaches Eric Chelle and Thierry Mouyouma throw of their greatest casts to make sure passage into the Remaining match, which is able to arrange the victor towards the winner of the opposite semi-final between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the similar venue on Sunday.
Nigeria, six-time finalists on the FIFA World Cup, have assumed a physique language of unwillingness to witness a second consecutive FIFA World Cup finals miss, which might imply no expertise on the highest degree for the backbone of the present group, whereas Gabon, who’ve by no means dined at soccer’s highest desk, are desperate to expertise what all of it means.
The substances for a fiery night in Morocco’s administrative capital is full, with each Chelle and Mouyouma more likely to undertake the 4-3-3 formation to play to the strengths of their lead orchestrators.
Chelle, unbeaten in 4 aggressive matches with Nigeria within the qualifying marketing campaign (three wins and a draw), will most certainly persist with goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, and within the absence of injured Olaoluwa Aina (damage) and Semi Ajayi (suspension), most likely calibrate a rearguard of Benjamin Fredericks, captain William Ekong, Calvin Bassey and Zaidu Sanusi, with Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka in midfield.
2023 Africa Participant of the Yr Victor Osimhen, who netted six objectives within the qualifying sequence (all towards three groups viz Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Benin Republic), is more likely to have Samuel Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman as companions from the off.
The rampant Osimhen, with 29 objectives in 44 matches for the Nigeria senior group, has netted 160 objectives and 36 assists in 275 membership profession matches, and is presently one of the vital feared forwards in world soccer.
Gabon emerged the perfect second runners-up in all of the 9 qualification teams, and hinge their hopes of an upset on 36-year- outdated ahead Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has turned out for English Premiership facet Arsenal and German Bundesliga high group Borussia Dortmund, and is now with former European champions Olympique Marseille in France.
The sensible ahead’s father, Pierre-François Aubameyang, featured for the Panthers on the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, during which the Panthers misplaced their first match 0-3 to Nigeria and crashed out at group stage, because the Eagles went on to win their second continental title.
Mouyouma is more likely to stick with his common military, which places Loyce Mbaba in aim, with teen Jacques Ekomie alongside Bruno Manga, Mick Omfia and Anthony Oyono on the rear, and Guélor Kanga, Mario Lemina and Didier Ndong in midfield.
Aubameyang, who scored all 4 objectives within the dismantling of The Gambia away within the qualifying sequence, may have common companions Denis Bouanga and Noah Lemina as co-conspirators on the fore.
Mouyouma has revealed that his Panthers are considering the fast, brief passing sport to drive Nigeria’s matadors to chase the sport, whereas Chelle has saved his choice to his chest because the fiery encounter looms.
Nigeria have been victorious in 5 of 9 earlier encounters with Gabon at senior males degree, relationship again 60 years, when Nigeria received and drew pleasant matches performed over two days in Libreville. Gabon’s solely triumph – a 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifier on twenty fifth June 1989 – in the end value Nigeria a ticket to Italia ’90 because the Eagles didn’t safe the draw wanted towards Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in Yaounde on the ultimate day of the sequence.
Three of the 9 matches have been drawn, together with a Germany 2006 World Cup qualifier, however Thursday’s sport can’t finish in a draw, as a winner should emerge to proceed to Sunday’s Remaining.
SUPER EAGLES, PANTHERS IN HISTORY
28 Aug 1965: Gabon 2-2 Nigeria (Pleasant)
29 Aug 1965: Gabon 1-4 Nigeria (Pleasant)
02 Mar 1983: Gabon 0-0 Nigeria (Pleasant)
07 Jan 1989: Nigeria 1-0 Gabon (WC qualifier)
25 June 1989: Gabon 2-1 Nigeria (WC qualifier)
26 Mar 1994: Nigeria 3-0 Gabon (AFCON finals)
21 Nov 1999: Gabon 0-2 Nigeria (Pleasant)
09 Oct 2004: Gabon 1-1 Nigeria (WC qualifier)
26 Mar 2005: Nigeria 2-0 Gabon (WC qualifier)
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