Nigeria U-20 Vs Dominican Republic U-20: Match Preview

Nigeria U-20 will face Dominican Republic U-20 in the opening Group D match of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. SPORTSRATION presents a preview of the match.

MATCH DETAILS

Competition: Argentina 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup

Round: Group stage

Fixture: Nigeria vs Dominican Republic

Date: Sunday May 20 2023

Venue: Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza

Time: 7pm

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Nigeria and Dominican Republic will be meeting for the very first time.

ABOUT THE MATCH

Both countries will look for a positive start to the tournament in this fixture. The thought of facing powerhouses Italy and Brazil in the other Group B games will be a motivation to push for a win here.

Nigeria`s U-20 team nicknamed the Flying Eagles will be making their 13th appearance at a FIFA U-20 World Cup as against Dominican Republic who will be participating in the tournament for the first time.

The Nigerian team is handled by Coach Ladan Bosso. Walter Rosales is the man in charge of the Dominican Republic U-20 team.

To reach the Argentina 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Nigeria finished in 4th place at the U-20 AFCON tournament.

For Dominican Republic, they reached a first ever CONCACAF U-20 final in 2022. A 6-0 spanking by the USA took their hopes of the title away but a World Cup spot was already secured.

TEAM NEWS 

There are no reports of injury from the two team camps.

For Nigeria, Ladan Bosso will take a decision on Victor Eletu`s readiness for the opening game after his late arrival in camp.

The talented AC Milan U-19 star will likely start from the bench against Dominican Republic.

Against Nigeria, Dominican Republic head coach Walter Rosales is expected stick with bulk of the lads from the CONCACAF U-20 tournament final.

His favourite formation is 3-4-3 with Jungbauer Genao, Manon Garcia and Vasquez Silverio offering cover for goalkeeper Bello Guzman at the back.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Coach Ladan Bosso of Nigeria

“Victory over Dominican Republic on Sunday will stabilize our winning mentality,” he told thenff.com.

“It is a factor that matters in championships and that is why we are determined to win on Sunday.”

Coach Walter Rosales of Dominican Republic

“We have to study Nigeria, which is our first rival to try to find the best ways and get to those games with the best weapons and try to get the best possible result,”

“The important thing is that we are all very happy because we are getting closer to the objective, which is to arrive at that event in the best way and with the best disposition.”

SPORTSRATION SAYS

Nigeria will start as favourites vs Dominican Republic. Anything aside a win for the Flying Eagles will be a huge surprise.