Nigeria’s national U23 team; the Dream Team will begin their quest
to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Men’s Football event when they face
Libya in an U23 AFCON qualifier first leg second round clash on Wednesday.
Nigeria, bronze
medal winners at the last Olympics in 2016 were drawn bye from the first round
of qualifiers while their opponents Libya walked over West African side The
Gambia in the first round.
The Dream Team 7
are coached by respected indigenous coach Imama Amapakabo, assisted by Kennedy
Boboye and Fidelis Ilechukwu – head coaches of Nigeria Professional Football
League sides Remo Stars and MFM FC respectively.
Amapakabo has
assembled a 23-man squad of home and foreign based professionals who will be
captained by Çaykur Rizespor of Turkey midfielder Okechukwu Azubuike who was
also the captain of the last Under 23 squad prior to the 2016 Olympics.
2015 FIFA Under-17
World Cup winning stars led by Villareal starlet Samuel Chukwueze and Porto B’s
Kelechi Nwakali and including John Lazarus, Udochukwu Anumudu, Kingsley Michael
and Orji Okwonkwo are also in the squad.
Leading the home
based contingent aside Lazarus and Anumudu are their teammate at Lobi Stars,
Ebube Duru and Wikki Tourists goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar. There are also Akwa
United’s Etiboy Akpan, Enyimba duo of Dare Olatunji and Stephen Manyo among
others.
Wednesday’s match
will hold at the March 7 Stadium in Ben Guerdane and will kick off at 4pm local
time. The return leg will hold on Monday, March 25 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium
in Asaba, Delta state.
Winner of the Libya
vs Nigeria tie over two legs will face winner of the clash between Sudan and
Kenya in June to determine which team qualify for the second edition of the U23
Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Egypt in November.
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