| Gernot Rohr |
Nigeria will take on Zimbabwe at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State on Saturday in a pre-2019 Africa Cup of Nations friendly seeking their fifth win against the Warriors.
The three-time African champions have won all four of their last encounters against Zimbabwe, conceding just one goal and scoring 11 goals.
Gernot Rohr’s team are coming into the game off the back of a rare win of positivity having beaten Egypt 1-0 in March with a second string team.
The stars of the show in that game were Paul Onuachu and Moses Simon, with Henry Onyekuru and Jamilu Collins also showing promise in the encounter.
Given the avalanche of talents available to coach Gernot Rohr, he will hope that his young team can continue to perform as he makes preparations for the AFCON, which starts in Egypt on June 21.
“I want to see a lot of players who are not playing so much, give them the opportunity to play against Zimbabwe,” Rohr told reporters in Asaba.
“It can be for some defenders like Balogun, he is fit but he didn’t play so much, so we want to see him playing on Saturday and also some players like Kelechi (Iheanacho).”
The Warriors will be feeling equally ebullient going into this fixture: a comfortable qualifying run to the AFCON, which saw them top Group G, was followed by a 2-0 friendly win over Comoros in the COSAFA Cup and a goalless draw against Zambia.