Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has confirmed November 9 as the opening date for the team’s camp in Edo State’s capital, Benin, for next month’s 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) double header against Sierra Leone.
The German coach said he was fine-tuning the squad list for the two encounters to be held in Benin on November 13 and Freetown on November 17, adding the injured Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Bordeaux’s Samuel Kalu would be major omissions.
“Yes; we are playing in Benin,” Rohr said.
“On Monday, November 9, we will open the camp,” he added.
Early this month, Rohr blooded some new players for the Super Eagles during the two preparatory matches against Algeria and Tunisia in Austria ahead of the AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone.
The experiment saw some newly-invited including the likes of Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal), Frank Onyeka (FC Midtjylland, Denmark), Samson Tijani (TSV Hartberg, Austria), Cyriel Dessers (KRC Genk, Belgium), and Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia) being handed their first outings in the national team colours.
But the experienced 67-year-old Rohr has now hinted that some of the new players would be included in the squad to face Sierra Leone, with the inclusion of fresh new players he refused to disclose yet.
“Some of the new players will be there,” Rohr said about the long-awaited list. “But still missing is Ndidi and Kalu; and one (player) will come for the first time.”
The Super Eagles are currently leading Group L with six points after winning their opening two matches at home against Benin (2-1) and away against Lesotho (4-2).