The youth national team, Flying Eagles have received a boost for their hope of snatching victory away to Mauritania in the first leg of their African U-20 Nations Cup qualifier, as the match that had earlier been scheduled for Friday will now hold on Saturday.
This will accord the Nigerian team another day of grace, having arrived in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott on Thursday night, which would have meant less than 24 hours rest for them before kick-off the following day.
That has now changed, though, following a proviso from the continental body, CAF, which acknowledged that the Nigerian team faced logistics issues in their trip to Mauritania, and Coach Paul Aigbogun will now marshal his boys to concentrate on doing well on Saturday.
The team of 18 players and 10 officials flew out of Abuja on Thursday morning aboard Air Ivoire to Dakar, Senegal before connecting an Air Mauritanie flight to Nouakchott.
Nigeria dismissed Guinea Bissau to reach this final round of qualifying, and play to join six other qualifiers and host Niger Republic for the 2019 U20 AFCON early next year.
Nigeria has a record of seven titles in the Africa U20 Cup of Nations, having emerged champions in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015.
CAF have appointed Messie Jessie Oved Nkounkou Mvoutou from Congo as referee for the game, to be assisted by compatriots Styven Danek Moutsassi Moyo (Assistant Referee 1), Beaudrel Ntsele Roul (Assistant Referee 2) and Sergei Flavien Soumou (Fourth Official).
The match, which will begin 5pm Nigeria time, will be a chance for Aigbogun to eke out a decent away result, ahead of the second leg fixture on July 21st at Agege Stadium, Lagos.
