Two Africa Cup of Nations hopefuls meet at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Saturday as Nigeria host Libya in a qualification clash.
The north Africans will be eager to continue with their unbeaten run having gone two games without losing, while Gernot Rohr’s side will be aiming to put more points on board after getting a commanding 3-0 victory in Seychelles in their last outing.
Victory for Nigeria will set them up nicely into the crunch game against the Mediterranean Knights in Sfax and that would pile the pressure on Libya.
| Game | Nigeria vs Libya |
| Date | Saturday, October 13 |
| Time | 4:00pm WAT |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In Nigeria, the game will be live on SuperSport. In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| Nigeria TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| SuperSport 9 | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
Squads & Team News
| Nigeria squad | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Uzoho, Ezenwa, Akpeyi |
| Defenders | Aina, Shehu, Ajayi, Idowu, Awaziem, Ekong, Balogun, Omeruo, Collins |
| Midfielders | Onazi, Ndidi, Etebo, Ogu |
| Forwards | Musa, Iheanacho, Simon, Onyekuru, Ighalo, Iwobi, Kalu, Success |
There is no place for Simon Nwankwo and Kelechi Nwakali in Gernot Rohr’s squad to face Libya in October’s double-header.
Ola Aina, Alex Iwobi and William Troost-Ekong return to the team after missing the clash versus Seychelles owing to contrasting reasons.
For Isaac Success, a recall to the Super Eagles next after injury and loss of form kept him on exile for several months means he must be at this best if he hopes to displace other establish forwards in Rohr’s side for a starter’s place.
Potential Nigeria XI: Uzoho, Shehu, Ekong, Balogun, Idowu, Ndidi, Etebo, Musa, Simon, Iwobi, Ighalo
Backpagepix
| Position | Libya squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Nachnouch, Arraka, Ouhichi |
| Defenders | Terbi, Mohamed, Jemal, Omran |
| Midfielders | Sabou, Khalifa, Maksi, Musrati, Ahmad |
| Forwards | Ali, Chadi, Ellafi, Solah-Mahrek, Houni, Tajouri-Shradi, Zaabia, Seltou, Belaid, Mrimi |
Potential Libya XI: Abdaula, Maghazi, Masaud, Abdusallam, Mohamed, Alshadi, Ben Ali, Hamdou, Eltrbi, Sharadi, Saltou
Betting & Match Odds
Visitors Libya are massive underdogs to win at (8.00) according to Nairabet. Nigeria's chances of victory are rated (1.50) and a draw is deemed more likely than that at (3.70).
Match Preview
The absence of captain John Obi Mikel for the third Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in succession is somewhat of a pain for Nigeria, but the three-time African kings have fared rationally well without him so far.
Gernot Rohr has attempted to add more bite to the Super Eagles with the injection of youth, with the likes of Semi Ajayi and Samuel Kalu being given the chance to show why they deserve to lead the team into the next era.
The game against Libya in Uyo will see them come up against an entirely different challenge to that of Seychelles and they will need to be at their best to tame to unbeaten Mediterranean Knights.
Ahmed Musa no doubt will be a potential weapon in the Nigerian arsenal as he will be expected to punish the defence line of the north Africans.
A torn Achilles will see Ogenyi Onazi miss this crunch encounter, but Rohr has got quality replacements in his side.
For the visitors, they look unsettled following the unexpected resignation of Adel Amrouche. Omar Al-Marime will be hoping to grind out a positive result in Nigeria as victory will put them in the front race for a place in Cameroon 2019.
