voldemort

A Tale of Two Eagles

The Nigerian team came under serious criticism for their lacklustre performance against the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the Group B opener. The Super Eagles, despite their surfeit of star players, was rather immobile and tended to slow down the pace of the game unnecessarily at times.

There was no fluidity going forward, and the closest they came to scoring all evening was a Taiye Taiwo effort that came off the cross bar - indeed, the defender looked like the best striker his side had available.

Coach Berti Vogts has been criticized by the Nigerian media for having made tactically deficient substitutions in the game, but the ex-German international has stood firmly in defence of his decisions.

What's more, there were rumors that some members of the team were involved in an altercation after the match, and this has not brought any sort of relief to the Nigerian supporter.

The team will go into this game knowing any result other than a win will effectively end their chances of securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament. The Nigerian team has not failed to reach the semi-final stage in the last four editions of the competition, and the sustainability of that tradition will be tested strongly by the Malians in today’s game. As such, the pressure is on.

The Malians, on the other hand, were not exactly spectacular in their narrow 1-0 victory over the Squirrels of Benin. The team struggled at times to find cohesion and the midfield was seldom a unit.

Frederic Kanoute was starved of service up front, and this will really cause concern for coach Jean-Francois Jodar.

Real Madrid’s Mamadou Diarra was quite effective, however, in the defensive midfield role, and he was one of the better players on a night that most of the others performed badly.

The Malians will not want to rely on having to beat the Ivorians in their last group game to secure a quarter-final ticket, so they will need to get a result from this game.

If they beat the Nigerians in this encounter, then they will have effectively paved their way into the next round of the competition.

Coach Jodar knows that this is a tall order, but it is achievable, considering the talents that the team possesses.

TEAM NEWS

Nigeria

Captain Nwankwo Kanu was carried off the pitch after sustaining an injury during the game against the Ivorians, and it is almost certain he won’t be available for this encounter.

The side will probably experience a few changes up front, but the bulk of the players that started the first game will be retained against the Malians.

In goal would be Austin Ejide, who has displaced Vincent Enyeama since the arrival of Berti Vogts. He had a fine game against the Ivorians, showing sharpness and agility.

The central defence will comprise Danny Shittu and Joseph Yobo. Yobo is a very good stopper, but he has a frustrating habit of losing concentration at critical moments. This has often resulted in him making some careless mistakes for both Everton and the national team. His ability to remain aware for the full duration of the game will be important for the Nigerians.

In the left side of the defence should be the impressive Taiye Taiwo. Onyekachi Apam might be left out of this game and substituted by Sochaux’s Rabiu Afolabi.

Mikel Obi was Nigeria’s best player on the pitch against the Ivorians, and he will lead the team’s midfield line. In the defensive midfield role, we should see the return of Sunderland’s Dickson Etuhu, after Seyo Olofinjana disappointed in the opening match.

Berti Vogts is likely to retain the services of John Utaka on the right side and Chievo Verona youngster Obinna Nsofor should also get the nod for this one.

The attack line would still be composed of Obafemi Martins and Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

Coach Berti Vogts will expectedly employ the 4-4-2 formation, but we might have Utaka joining the attack line occasionally in a pseudo-4-3-3 setup.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Austin Ejide (Bastia, France), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda, Israel), Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel)

Defenders: Rabiu Afolabi (Sochaux, France), Danny Shittu (Watford, England), Onyekachi Apam (OGC Nice, France), Obinna Nwaneri (FC Sion, Switzerland), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Ifeanyi Emeghara (Steaua Bucharest, Romania), Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France)

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Seyi Olofinjana (Wolves, England), Onyekachi Okonkwo (FC Zurich, Switzerland), Dickson Etuhu (Sunderland, England), Richard Eromoigbe (Levski Sofia, Bulgaria)

Forwards: Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth, England), John Utaka (Portsmouth, England), Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe, Spain), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United, England), Ayo Makinwa (Lazio, England), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, England), Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona, Italy), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia.)

Mali

Momo Sissoko is set to return to the starting line-up in this game, with Seydou Keita pushing forward to his more natural position of roving midfielder.

In goal for the Malians, Greek-based Mahamadou Sidibe should retain his place. The defence should be marshaled by French based duo of Adama Coulibaly and Cedric Kante. Souleymane Diamoutene and Sammy Traore should complete the defense line

In the midfield we would expect to see Mahmadou Diarra, Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko, Sevilla's Seydou Keita, and Bassala Toure providing support on the wings.

Frederic Kanoute should pair up with Locomotiv Moscow’s Dramane Traore in the attacking line.

Coach Jodar will most likely employ a classic 4-4-2 formation, with Seydou Keita providing support for the forwards.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Soumbeyla Diakite (Stade Malien, Mali), Mahamadou Sidibe (PAS Giannina, Greece), Oumar Sissoko (Metz, France)

Defenders: Adama Coulibaly (Lens, France) Moussa Coulibaly (Mouloudia Alger, Algeria) Souleymane Diamoutene (Lecce, France) Cedric Kante (Nice, France) Boubacar Sidiki Kone (Maghreb Fes, Morocco) Amadou Sidibe (Djoliba, Mali) Adama Tamboura (Helsingborg, Sweden) Sammy Traore (AJ Auxerre, France)

Midfielders: Souleymane Dembele (Djoliba, Mali) Drissa Diakite (Nice, France) Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid, Spain) Seydou Keita (Sevilla, Spain) Djibril Sidibe (Chateauroux, France) Momo Sissoko (Liverpool, England) Bassala Toure (Levadiakos, Greece)

Strikers: Mamadou Diallo (Qatar SC, Qatar) Mahamadou Dissa (Roeselare, Belgium) Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla, Spain) Mamady Sidibe (Stoke City, England) Dramane Traore (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nigeria - John Obi Mikel: The Chelsea midfielder has improved tremendously since coming to the limelight during the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland. Mikel is undoubtedly Nigeria’s most creative player, and how he performs today will influence the result greatly.

Mali - Frederic Kanoute: The Sevilla forward is always a threat in front of goal, as he has shown several times in the Spanish league. He was responsible for the demolition of the Togolese team in Lome in the last qualifier, and has proven to the Malians that nothing is impossible. That mentality, along with his ability, is what he will bring to his team in today’s game.

PREDICTION

Yet again it will be the pressure effect that should give victory to the Nigerians. The Nigerians will have more urgency in ther gameplay than the Malians, resulting in some swift attacking. However, if the Nigerians get an early goal, they might be tempted to sit back, and the Malians could capitalize on this and punish them. But I will give this game to the Nigerians nonetheless.

Nigeria 2-0 Mali

source:goal.com