7 Things To Expect From Nigeria Vs Brazil Match

7 THINGS TO EXPECT FROM NIGERIA VS. BRAZIL

Three time African champions Super Eagles of Nigeria will today slug it out with Selecao of Brazil in an international friendly match at the Singapore International Stadium at 1:00 pm, Nigerian time.

Here are 7 things expected from the match

1. Brazil out for redemption! Since emerging as Copa America champion for a ninth time in the summer, Brazil have worryingly failed to win a single match in three straight attempts.

Draws against Colombia and Senegal were sandwiched between a shock defeat to Peru and the pressure could begin to gradually mount on Tite and his superstar squad.

Can they get that long awaited first win at the fourth trial, or will Nigeria exploit cracks and hurt the Samba Boys? Sunday will provide these answers and more, hopefully in front of a capacity crowd in Singapore.

1. Who fills Etebo’s big boot? Stoke City’s reliable midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo had to pull out of the big match at the last-minute, his absence potentially creating a major void Gernot Rohr wasn’t anticipating.

There are two candidates to fill his boot, Ramon Azeez and Joe Aribo. Will Rohr select the tried and tested Ramon over the young and exciting goal scoring debutant Aribo, who might be lacking a bit of match sharpness after his recent injury layoff?

Considering both players haven’t been a part of Rohr’s team, last month the earliest, the German might be tempted to go for a more experienced and calmer head.

1. Rohr to revert to back three? It’s a well known fact that Nigeria have played their best football and thrived against the big guns when they line-up in a 3-5-2 system, friendly wins against Argentina and impressive showings against England and Iceland backing this claim.

Gernot Rohr might consider switching to his back-up formation against the Brazilian’s who are better in one-beat-one situations, a decision which could see the returning Tyronne Ebuehi get the nod at right wing-back and Samuel Chukwueze pair Victor Osimhen in attack.

1. Toffees to become foes, briefly: Everton pair Alex Iwobi and Richarlison will be foes, at least for 90 minutes when Nigeria takes on Brazil.

The pair are highly rated in the Premier League and this match could be the perfect opportunity for both players to take some time away from the club’s crisis, rediscover their form and together head back to the team and salvage what is already looking like a disastrous season.

1. Osimhen test for Samba Boys’ defence: Victor Osimhen continues to be one of the revelations of the season in Europe and he might as well extend his superb start to the campaign against Brazil.

The 20-year-old Lille forward, who has been named in successive months as his club’s player of the month and has netted nine goals across all competitions for club and country this campaign.

Considering his red-hot form, you can almost certainly bank on him to strike for the 10th time and increase his international goal haul against a Samba Boys defence that has some Ligue 1 presence (Thiago Silva and Marquinhos).

1. Tite to ring the changes: One of the major benefits of international friendlies is for coaches to use the games as an opportunity to evenly spread game time across the squad and present an avenue for fringe players to make a claim for a starting shirt.

The above could play heavily on the mind of Tite as he could resist the temptation to play a fit-again Neymar from the start for a second time in three days, rest veteran defenders Thiago Silva and Dani Alves and rotate either the duo of Premier League forwards Roberto Firmino or Gabriel Jesus.

1. Which individual battles will standout? The game pits two teams with some exciting young talents within their squad and we should be in for some mouth-watering individual battles. From a potential Samuel Chukwueze - Alex Sandro battle, Wilfred Ndidi – Philippe Coutinho battle and Alex Iwobi – Casemiro battle, we could be in for a testing game.. Copied.