AFCON QUALIFIER: Rohr rues absence of Mikel, Ikeme

The Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has admitted the team will miss the services of captain John Mikel Obi, goalkeeper Carl Ikeme and defender Leon Balogun who are absent for the game against South Africa as they’re still recuperating from injury.

The Eagles will be playing the Bafana Bafana at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo this Saturday in a crucial match that would go a long way to determine their participation at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

At a press conference ahead of the game on Thursday, the German gaffer rued the absence of the “important players” and expressed the difficulty he’s facing in naming his starting lineup for the game.

“Without some of our important players in the team, we miss our captain (Mikel Obi) who is injured,” Rohr told reporters.

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“We miss our goalkeeper as well. Also too we will miss a very important defender Leon Balogun who is not here, so we have reconstruct the team to beat South Africa, It will not be easy to beat them.

“It is very difficult for me to name my starting eleven from the 24 players in camp because everyone is fit.”

Brown Ideye, Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo are among players that didn’t make it to the Super Eagles camp, but the coach had given some of them reasons why they were not invited.

“We are in good spirits and for the players who were not invited I told them reasons why they can’t come and they understood me well,” Rohr added.

 

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