Nigeria battle South Africa
in their 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier this weekend at the FNB Stadium.
The Bafana Bafana won the
reverse fixture in Uyo last year with Percy Tau and Tokelo Rantie scoring the
goals that handed the victory over the Super Eagles.
However, coach Gernot Rohr
might be going through selection headache after the withdrawal of China base
Odion Ighalo due to injury.
The former Watford striker
was replaced by Galatasaray forward Henry Onyekuru for the crunch battle
between the two rivals.
And with the absence of the
Chanchun Yatai attacker, the question remains who leads the attack for Nigeria
against Stuart Baxter's men this weekend.
Below are four strikers who
are in contention to start in Super Eagles attack against South Africa.
1. Isaac Success:
The 22-year-old has
featured in all 12 matches for his Premier League side this season with just
one goal credited to him.
This however could be
blamed over the limited playing time he gets at the Vicarage Road, however, the
former Flying Eagles star ticks all the quality of a good striker.
He sure will fit in well
perfectly into Ighalo's shoes if given the green light by the head coach of the
team.
2. Kelechi Iheanacho:
The 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup
winner and most valuable player has been an integral part of the Super Eagles
team.
He scored twice during the
2018 World Cup qualifying process and has also netted once in 11 Premier League
matches for Leicester City.
Though, he is not a no 9,
but could be used as a false nine for the game - provided his lack of pace will
be taken care of.
3. Victor Osimhen
The 19-year-old striker
might be given his first competitive start for his country's national team
against Stuart Baxter's men.
He currently plays for
Belgian side Charleroi where he has scored five times and created an assist in
ten matches.
With his height and his
youthfulness, the 2015 FIFA U17 highest goals scorer might be a good option for
the Eagles - knowing well that his inclusion will be a surprise for the
opponents.
4. Henry Onyekuru
The Everton star is
currently on a season long loan deal with Galatasaray and has scored four goals
in ten appearances so far in the Belgian League.
He came in as a substitute
in Nigeria's 4-0 win over Libya last month in their Group E AFCON clash but
squandered some begging chances.
His redemption came when he
assisted Samuel Kalu for the superb curvy long range shot that sealed the win
for three time African kings in the game.
Legit.ng earlier reported
that Nigeria face South Africa in a fight to qualify for the 2019 African Cup
of Nations championship on Saturday, November 17.
The Super Eagles who have
missed the last two editions of the African Cup of Nations are currently
topping Group E with 9 points after four games played in the qualifiers.
South Africa are occupying
second position on the standings with 8 points after the same number of matches
played so far.
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