Cape Verde Island’s head coach Pedro ‘Bubista’ Leitão is convinced that his charges have the tools to trouble Nigeria as the Super Eagles take on the Blue Sharks in tomorrow’s Qatar 2022 day Two qualifier in the Island of Mindelo.
“From the moment we finished the game in the Central African Republic, we started thinking about this game,” Bubista reportedly told said Cape Verdean publication, Expresso das Ilhas. “Obviously, we want to be as strong as possible to look for the three points.
“As we create opportunities with the Central African Republic, we are confident that we will also be able to create with Nigeria and any other team. We always enter the field with a spirit of victory.”
In the meantime, the coach Gernot Rohr-led Super Eagles would be without its Britain-based players no thanks to the Covid-19 red alert UK restrictions on the Island country of Cape Verde.
Missing on the trip for the tomorrows match were two-goal hero against Liberia Kelechi Iheanacho as well as defenders Leon Balogun (Rangers); William Ekong (Watford ); midfielders Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester ); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo Rangers) and striker Alex Iwobi (Everton).
Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa will become just the third player from Nigeria to make the landmark of 100 caps should he feature in tomorrow’s 2022 World Cup Qualifiers Group C clash against Cape Verde tomorrow at the Municipal Adérito Sena Stadium in Mindelo.
The 27-year-old winger, who made his international debut on September 5, 2010, in an AFCON qualifier against Madagascar in Calabar, notched his 99th cap in the Eagles 2-0 win over the Lone Star of Liberia in Lagos on Friday.
He is likely to join former Eagles greats and captain Vincent Enyeama and Joseph Yobo as the only players to have played a century or more games for the national team. Both Enyeama and Yobo ended their international careers on 101 caps and Musa, barring any major dip of form or injury in the future, will likely break this record.
The Super Eagles were expected to depart Lagos for Cape Verde with their chartered Air Peace flight via Murtala Muhammed Airport earlier Monday at 2am.
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