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Ighalo, Osimhen tipped to lead attack as Nigeria battle Cape Verde for WCQ playoff place

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Odion Ighalo and Victor Osimhen would be a great pair in the attack of the Super Eagles as they face Cape Verde in an important game on Tuesday evening.

This was a plea by former Nigerian forward, Victor Ikpeba, who was urging the Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, to do all he could to win the game.

The Nigerian team will be battling Cape Verde at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, a game that will decide the winner of Group C of the African qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup to hold in Qatar.

The Eagles are top of the group and need a draw to scale to the final round of the qualifiers while second-placed Cape Verde need a win to leapfrog their hosts.

Ikpeba, who was speaking during Monday Night Football Show on Supersports, said Rohr must pair Ighalo and Osimhen to unsettle the Cape Verdian defenders.

Read Also: Rohr not moved by criticism, says focus is to win games with Eagles

“I think Ighalo’s recall will be a wake up call for the young lads in the Super Eagles.

“However, Gernot Rohr can decide to play both Ighalo and Osimhen in the attack due to their different features. One is tall and the other is strong on the ball due to his physical nature.

“The Super Eagles must score early enough to be able to control the possession of the game. This will also help to relax the nerves of the players if they score first,” said the ex international

Recall that Ighalo had announced his retirement from the national team after the Nations Cup in 2019 but was recently handed an invitation to return to the team.

Osimhen was one of the scorers in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Liberia last weekend, and has been in form for club and country since the start of the season.

The game between Nigeria and Cape Verde is billed to kick off by 5p.m in Surulere.

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