The Nigeria national football team, the Super Eagles, will travel to Johannesburg on Thursday for Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The team will be leaving the country from the Benin City airport aboard a Max Air chartered flight.
Although Nigeria had a slow start to the campaign after losing 2-0 to Bafana Bafana, Super Eagles sits atop the Group E with 9 points.
South Africa is placed second on the Group, trailing the Super Eagles by a single point after four games.
The two nations are in with a chance to qualify, but the South Africans need to avoid defeat and consolidate their position on the log.
As at Tuesday morning, the bulk of the players invited for the game have arrived the team’s camp ahead of today’s opening training session.
The early birds are Henry Onyekuru, Kelechi Iheanacho, returnee Mikel Agu, Theophilus Afelokhai and Moses Simon.
Afelokhai is making his second coming to the Eagles having been involved in the squad when the late Stephen Keshi was head coach. He came in as a replacement for first-choice goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, who has been ruled out by injury.
Onyekuru is returning to the team as a replacement for the injured Odion Ighalo after missing the games against Libya. He joins the team after netting two goals for his club side Galatasaray. Agu has not played for Nigeria since he was omitted from the team to the Russia 2018 World Cup.
A Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official told The Guardian yesterday that Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Ola Aina, Jamilu Collins and Sunday Adeleye are also in camp.
Others expected today are William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Daniel Akpeyi and Brian Idowu.
Wilfred Ndidi is out of the game having received two yellow cards in the qualifying series.
