Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr says he is desperate to play Ghana in a friendly next month to help the Super Eagles prepare for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against African champions Cameroon.
The German tactician says the clash with the Black Stars will give the the Super Eagles the right mental toughness needed to defeat Cameroon.
The Super Eagles are considered the underdogs for their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cameroon who won Africa’s flagship competition in Gabon last week.
The Eagles are top of Group B on six points after winning their first two games against Zambia and Algeria.
Cameroon are second on two points, four points adrift of the Eagles but will close the gap with the Eagles if they win the game.
Rohr has stated the importance of playing friendly match against top side Ghana before facing Cameroon.
“But we are fresh and will be happy to be together in March for the two friendly games we will play,” Rohr said when asked about how he will prepare for the match against Cameroon.
“And talking about that, we want to have two big friendly games one against one of the biggest teams in Africa, Senegal, who were unlucky to lose on penalties at AFCON.
“So we will play them first in London in March which will be a big test for us.
“The second team could be Ghana or Morocco because they play very good football too.
“So we will play these friendly games before facing South Africa which is very important because we are not only focusing on Cameroon.
“And this is why I think the friendly with Ghana will be interesting because not only are they similar in language but also in terms of football.”
Rohr was thus given a clear directive: ensure the Super Eagles qualify for Russia 2018.
Achieving that feat will mean overcoming the so-called ‘Group of Death’ with Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia standing in the way.
The former defender, who became an iconic figure at Bordeaux during his playing days, got off to a winning start with Nigeria, beating Tanzania 1-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that had already been rendered meaningless after Egypt secured the lone qualifying berth from Group G.
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