By Osagie Alonge
The excitement and build up to Guinness The Match – one of the biggest international friendly matches of the continent steadily approaches, attention of the entire African continent and every football follower in the world would want to see how Nigeria would battle the football super power Argentina come Wednesday, June 1, 2011.
Super Eagles Head Coach Samson Siasia has reacted to the Argentina team list, which was released a few days ago. The list conspicuously left out World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez from the Argentine Football team that will take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Siasia says he would not be deceived by it.
The possibility of the absence of the two star players lingers as Messi will be preparing for the UEFA Champions League final in England and Tevez is out for a couple of weeks due to injury.
‘Messi and Tevez are not the most important players in Argentina so we are not complacent about their rumoured absence. Argentina will never raise a substandard team against Nigeria because they too want to maintain their record of the unbeaten runs. We are focused and will give the match all it takes. Argentina is one of the world’s most successful football nations. Any team they field will be of world-class quality because the depth of talent available to them is second to none. Whether they are the more well known international players or the phenomenal rising stars coming through, Argentina is amongst the best in the world’, Siasia expressed.
Siasia will also be looking to field in home based players in with the foreign-based star in the friendly match insisting that any team from Argentina has the potent instinct to surprise and shock any team in the world adding that the Super Eagles will also follow suit. Chibuzor Okonkwo and Ekigo Ehiosun are some of the few lucky players that will make the team.
Siasia, we gathered, will send his team list for the historic match to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday, May 16, 2011.
In related news, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) through their rep Hernan Tofoni has denied releasing any team list for the upcoming friendly claiming that the association is yet to release an official list.
‘We can’t afford to be complacent because we have beaten Nigeria three times in the past. The Eagles are a great team and they are playing at home. Argentina is number five in the world right now, so we have to play with our best players. The massive crowd will support them and we don’t want to let our fans down. This is an opportunity for us to continue our dominance over Nigeria’, Tofoni stated.
Commenting on Guinness The Match, former Bolton Wanderers coach Sam Allardyce, says he can’t hide his excitement towards the upcoming friendly.
‘Guinness the Match between Argentina and the Super Eagles is a mouth watering prospect. Just like the rest of us, I don’t know who’s playing yet, but I do know that with the depth of talent available in a country with the football heritage of Argentina, it will be nothing short of a world-class side. Outside of the usual candidates, think of Zabaleta and his goal for City last week. Otomendi had a tremendous FIFA World Cup and is playing in the UEFA Cup Finals. Mateo Musacchio is playing well for Villa Real. The point is that whoever will play, they will prove to be more than worthy opponents, a real handful. What’s more, the level of young talent that the Argentines have coming through is phenomenal. There are some truly exciting players – I’m thinking specifically of Insua and Musacchio- Players that will look back and see this match as formative in their international careers. I’ve said it from the outset when I came over to Lagos – this is going to be one heck of a match!’, Allardyce
The star match is to played on Wednesday, June 1 2011 at the Abuja National Stadium.
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