Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles, will on Saturday fly to Cairo for a two –match tour of Egypt as part of the team’s preparations for the qualifying series of the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
Head Coach, Paul Aigbogun will lead the new group that is being put together with the mandate not only to return the Flying Eagles to the Africa U20 finals which they missed last year, but also to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and go one better than the Class of 1989 and Class of 2005 that won the silver medals.
The trio of Elkanemi Warriors’ Nur Mohammed, Ikouwem Utin of Enyimba FC and Plateau United’s Eneji Moses, who impressed with the Super Eagles B at the African Nations Championship in Morocco earlier in the year, are in the 23 –man squad that will face the Junior Pharaohs.
Kano Pillars’ Nazifi Yahaya, Nasarawa United’s Douglas Achiv and Akwa United’s duo of Duarw Nuhu and Adeshina Gata are also in the contingent.
Team Administrator Aliyu Ibrahim Lawal told thenff.com that the Flying Eagles will take on the Junior Pharaohs on Tuesday, 27th March and Thursday, 29th March, with both matches to hold in Alexandria.
The seven –time African champions will be up against the winner of the preliminary fixture between Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau in the first round of the qualifiers, with the first leg to hold in either Bissau or Freetown in mid-May.
Niger Republic will host the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
THE 23 FLYING EAGLES OFF TO CAIRO
Goalkeepers: Detan Ogundare (Kogi United); Mohammed Galadima (Nasarawa United)
Defenders: Chidubem Nwosu (36 Lions); Zaruma Samuel (Plateau United); Abdullahi Abubakar (Nasarawa United); Valentine Ozornwafor (Enyimba FC); Mubarak Abdulsalam (Wikki Tourists); Ikouwem Utin (Enyimba FC)
Midfielders: Jamil Muhammed (Kano Pillars); Charles Agbo (Elkanemi Warriors); Aniekeme Okon (Akwa United); Alhassan Adamu (Kano Pillars); Mitchel William (Elkanemi Warriors); Douglas Achiv (Nasarawa United); Duarw Nuhu (Akwa United)
Forwards: Wasiu Alalade (Enyimba FC); Muhammed Tijjani (36 Lions); Nazifi Yahaya (Kano Pillars); Nur Mohammed (Elkanemi Warriors); Ibrahim Abubakar (Niger Tornadoes); Eneji Moses (Plateau United); Jesse Akila (MFM FC); Adeshina Gata (Akwa United)
