The majestic Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo will come alive when Super Eagles take on Algeria’s Desert Warriors in a Match Day Two encounter of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
After the first round of games, the Super Eagles sit pretty atop Group B with maximum points after putting up a gritty display to see off Zambia 2-1 away in Ndola.
To add more spice and drama to the next round of games, Cameroon held Algeria to a 1-1 draw in Blid which has thrown the group into a prismatic one.
The next set of games will go a long way to determining the fate of all the four teams in the group. Though too early to call, a win for Nigeria will put her in pole position with six points, while Algeria will be rooted almost at the bottom with just a point, depending of course on how Zambia fares against the Indomitable Lions. Naijabet.com
But of course this is all speculation and Nigeria have to first get by the Fennec Foxes.
A few days after drawing with Cameroon, Algeria parted ways with Milovan Rajevac. The search for a new coach is on as the Federation Algerienne Football (FAF) tries to steady the ship.
Regardless of who coaches the North Africans, it won’t be easy for Nigeria on game day as they are blessed with a plethora of talented players, who on their day can cause problems for any of the best teams in the world. Rewind to the Rio World Cup and ask the Germans.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the attack. Riyad Mahrez needs no introduction. The Leicester City man was so huge as they won the English Premier League last season, that he was named the EPL’s Player of the Year.
He has very good vision, nippy dribbling skills and the ability to pry defences open which he has shown time and time again what his left foot can do, cutting in from his favourite left side of the midfield to score some cracking goals for club and country.
While Nigeria must have one eye on him for the full 90 minutes, the Super Eagles will also have to have ( at least) the other one on Islam Slimani. Not exactly the fastest attacker out there, he makes up for that with great positioning and ball awareness.
Slimani’s fantastic form for Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon earned him a move to English Champions Leicester City where he has teamed up with compatriot Riyad Mahrez, and added a lethal African one-two punch alongside the marauding Vardy.
They play as Foxes for club and Foxes for country – Mahrez and Slimani are more than a handful.
His aerial ability is second to none and it will be a huge problem for the shorter West Africans, especially if Leon Balogun does not play. 48 goals in 82 games for Sporting and 23 goals in 45 appearances for Les Fennecs, is an average of almost a goal every other game , and that speaks volumes about his worth.
It is important to note that 68 percent of Slimani’s goals were from headers and he was rated by many as the best header of the ball in the Portuguese league last season.
Next on the Fennec Foxes list of hit-makers is Sofiane Feghouli. Though he didn’t start the game against Cameroon, and was rumoured to be the man behind the revolt that led to Rajevac’s decision to resign, that doesn’t diminish his abilities as a fantastic midfielder.
A box to box runner who is also blessed with creative juices, the West Ham midfielder will be one of Algeria’s key men in Uyo, especially since he will be supplying balls upfront for the Leicester City duo.
As one continues with the inventory it is imperative that Hilial Soudani is not missed. The 28-year-old is stocky but still has the ability to get up high and do damage to the opponent with his head.
Now with Dinamo Zagreb, he is still a constant feature for the Algerian side and started the game against Cameroon. He too has a keen eye for the goal and will be eager to get one past Ikeme if given the chance
Complimented by others such as Taider Safir now with Bologna, and Adlène Guedioura of Watford, who is teammates with Odion Ighalo and Isaac Success, you can see why Algeria is no paper Tiger and ranked as the continents top team.
The Super Eagles will definitely have their hands full when they come calling and looking to get their campaign back on track. They will play with determination, but most importantly they will play to score which they can, as Ethiopia found out in their 7-1 drubbing.
Cameroon was successful in curbing Algeria’s offensive threat by being compact and disciplined in midfield and blocking the channels where Algeria thrives best. That suffocating approach didn’t allow them to create as many chances as they would have loved.
The Fennec Foxes started out with a 4-3-3 formation with Slimani flanked by Mahrez and Soudani in attack while Safir Taider, Boudebouz Ryad and Guedioura manned the midfield.
Even though the Indomitable Lions conceded early from a Mahrez corner kick, they didn’t blink and rebounded by being able to stifle Algeria with some stout defending and organisation.
They crowded the midfield when Algeria had possession and were also quick on the counter-attack forcing the Algerians to back-peddle over and over again.
Bearing this in mind, Nigeria, who apparently will be in attack mode in Uyo, will have to be organised in the midfield and down the flanks, and not over-commit up front.
In addition the full backs have to be aware and measured when making incursions into Algerian’s end so as not be to caught on the break.
Gernot Rohr will certainly have to keep this in mind as he creates his play-book for match-day. We know now the he won’t be forced to reinvent the wheel, and must simply make his team do what Cameroon did to the continent’s top-ranked side – which is play physical and fast but yet smart
But that as we know is easier said than done and he certainly has a difficult assignment in front of him.
