Nigeria’s Sand Eagles will face reigning African champions Senegal in a two-legged friendly series as part of their preparations for the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana.
The Nigeria Football Federation disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Friday.
Head coach Abdullahi Isa said the friendlies would help the team overcome match rust and sharpen its readiness for the crucial qualifying ties against Ghana’s Black Sharks.
Isa also expressed appreciation to the NFF for arranging the fixtures and thanked the Senegalese Football Federation for accepting the invitation.
> “The matches provide an opportunity to reunite with old friends, including Senegal head coach Med Jean Sylla and captain Al Seyni Ndiaye,” Isa said.
The coach described the encounters as an important test for the Sand Eagles ahead of their qualifying campaign.
> “I want to thank the NFF for the commendable initiative and also appreciate Team Senegal for turning up. These matches will help the Sand Eagles’ preparations in a big way,” he added.
The two-legged series will provide Nigeria with valuable competitive action against Senegal, who are the defending African champions.
The Sand Eagles are expected to use the matches to assess their readiness, improve their match fitness and fine-tune their tactics before facing Ghana in the continental qualifiers.
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