Here’s all you need to know about the Flying Eagles ahead of tomorrow’s opener against Qatar.
Nigeria topped Group A, defeating both Burundi and Niger en route to the semis. However, this was where fortune deserted them, and they were defeated in back-to-back shootouts by Mali, in the semi, and then by South Africa in the third-place playoff.
Track record?
Nigeria is a regular at the U-20 World Cup, and this is their 12th appearance at the tournament. They’ll be desperate to make amends for 2017, when they missed out, but do they have the quality to go one better than 1989 and 2005, when they were defeated, finalists?
Nigeria begin their quest for glory at the 2019 U20 Fifa World Cup against Qatar tomorrow.
The Flying Eagles will be making their 12th appearance on the global scene thanks to their fourth-place finish at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations staged in Niger Republic in February.
For the Asians, Poland 2019 will be their fourth appearance and they will be hoping to better their second-place finish achieved in Australia 1981.
And to achieve this, first, they must navigate past Paul Aigbogun’s men before taking on Ukraine and the United States in Group D.
Who’s in their group?
Nigeria begin their group campaign with a fascinating encounter against Qatar in Tychy, before subsequent meetings with the United States and Ukraine.
It’s a compelling group—a genuine clash of cultures—and the West Africans will fancy their chances of progress.
Who are the key men?
Wonderkid Tom Dele-Bashir, who was born in Manchester, has got people talking ahead of the tournament, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he meshes with some of the home-based players in Paul Aigbogun’s squad.
Defenders Ikouwem Utin and Valentine Ozornwafor have already been named in senior Super Eagles squads by Gernot Rohr.
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