Rohr calls up two debutants and sticks to Ahmed Musa as he names provisional squad for Cameroon friendly

SUPER Eagles head coach Gernot has called up 31 players including debutants Abraham Marcus and Terem Moffi for Nigeria’s forthcoming friendly match against Cameroon taking place in Austria on June 4.

At the request of Confederation of African Football (Caf), Fifa has postponed Africa’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for June until September, so that work can be completed on some of the stadia that do not meet international standards yet. As a result, the Nigerian football federation (NFF) has decided to arrange friendly games for the Super Eagles during the Fifa window.

After weeks of intense negotiations, the first friendly against Cameroon has been confirmed for June 4 and Mr Rohr has submitted a provisional list that includes 21-year-old Feirense midfielder Abraham Marcus and Lorient striker Terem Moffi. Scheduled to take place at the Wiener Neustadt stadium in the Austrian capital, Vienna, the Cameroon friendly will kick off at 8.30pm Austrian time.

Marcus joined Portuguese second division side Feirense from Remo Stars Academy in 2018 and was only promoted to the first team this season. He is Feirense’s top scorer in the league this season with 11 goals in 24 appearances and was named the Liga Two best player of the month in January.

Striker Moffi, 21, who was placed on standby during the recent African Nations Cup qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho, will be hoping to make his debut after a prolific season in Le Championet. Also invited is Sadiq Umar, who pulled out of the Benin and Lesotho qualifiers due to coronavirus restrictions.

Highly sought after Enyimba energetic forward Anayo Iwuala is also included, following cameo appearances against Benin Republic and Lesotho in March. Impressive Crotone striker Simy Nwankwo and Slavia Praha forward Peter Olayinka also make a return to the squad.

Skipper Ahmed Musa, who recently signed for Kano Pillars, is one of four-home-based players invited to camp. This provisional squad of 31 will be cut down to 23 before the Eagles fly to Vienna for the clash with the Indomitable Lions.

Full list

Goalkeepers:

Francis Uzoho (APOEL Nicosia), John Noble (Enyimba), Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Heartland)

Defenders:

Kenneth Omeruo (Leganes), Kevin Akpoguma (Hoffenheim), Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista), William Troost-Ekong (Watford), Olaoluwa Aina (Fulham), Jamilu Collins (Padeborn), Zaidu Sanusi (Porto), Tyronne Ebuehi (Twente), Semi Ajayi (West Brom)

Midfielders:

Oghenekaro Etebo (Galatasaray), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), Abdullahi Shehu (Omonia), Joe Aribo (Glasgow Rangers), Abraham Marcus (Feirense)

Forwards:

Ahmed Musa (Kano Pillars), Alex Iwobi (Everton), Sadiq Umar (Almeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal), Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Moses Simon (Nantes), Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray), Anayo Iwuala (Enyimba), Peter Olayinka (Slavia Praha), Terem Moffi (Lorient), Paul Onuachu (Genk), Simy Nwankwo (Crotone)