Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials have commenced a hunt for another opponent to line out against the Super Eagles in a final build-up match to the World Cup, but admit it would have to be a minor team.
With the Eagles having slumped to two straight defeats on their last lap of preparations for the Mundial, the NFF are of a view that there is a need to revive a winning mentality in the team, hence the move to get an opponent they can roll over before heading out to Russia on Monday.
In furtherance of that objective, talks are underway by the NFF top brass in Austria, to see the Eagles play another friendly game, but it will hold behind closed doors.
In the Eagles’ preparation schedule, there was initially a plan of playing a game on the 9th of June and that move is now back on track, after preliminary talks were held with Austria national team, who are also having a training camp not far from that of Nigeria.
Austria could be the Eagles’ next opponents if all goes according to plan, but if it fails to materialise there are plans to that the Nigerian team will engage a club or selected side.
Already Nigeria have played three friendly games in preparations for the World Cup and with a draw and two defeats, the need for a third to test lessons learnt from the defeats has become imperative.
Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr was believed to be initially opposed to the idea of playing a game very close to the World Cup but recent poor results in friendly games have forced him into a rethink of his earliest ideas.
