Chelle Targets Winning Mentality as Super Eagles Prepare for Poland Clash
Calvin Bassey joins camp in Warsaw while Paul Onuachu arrives fresh from Turkish Super Lig Goal of the Season award
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says Nigeria will play for victory when they face Poland in Wednesday’s international friendly in Warsaw.
The Nigerian team received a major boost on Tuesday with the arrival of Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, taking the number of players in camp to 20 ahead of the clash at the 58,000-capacity PGE Narodowy Stadium.
Bassey’s arrival gives Chelle more defensive options as the coach continues shaping his squad following Nigeria’s recent Unity Cup triumph in London.
“Now, we have a team and we are preparing to go out there and win. Winning is the mentality that we are trying to create in the team, in the players. We will go for a win on Wednesday,” Chelle said.
The former Mali coach now has several defensive combinations available, with Semi Ajayi, Igoh Ogbu and Emmanuel Fernandez also in camp.
Nigeria’s goalkeeping department also looks competitive, with Maduka Okoye arriving in strong condition after joining training on Monday. Arthur Okonkwo, who kept clean sheets in his first two appearances for Nigeria during the Unity Cup, is also pushing for a starting place alongside Francis Uzoho.
In midfield, captain Wilfred Ndidi is expected to play a leading role alongside Frank Onyeka, Raphael Onyedika, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Tochukwu Nnadi and Abdullahi Bewene.
The attack contains several in-form forwards including Moses Simon, Terem Moffi, Akor Adams, Rafiu Durosinmi and Philip Otele.
One of the biggest talking points in camp, however, has been Paul Onuachu after the striker woke up in Warsaw to news that he had won the Turkish Super Lig Goal of the Season award.
The towering Trabzonspor forward was reportedly one of the standout performers during training as confidence continues to grow within the squad.
Poland are also expected to experiment with several younger players after handing debut opportunities during their recent match against Ukraine.
Coach Jan Urban may rely on winger Jakub Kamiński alongside a group that includes Oskar Pietuszewski, Mateusz Żukowski, Norbert Wojtuszek, Kacper Potulski and Oskar Wójcik.
Wednesday’s match kicks off at 8:45pm local time in Poland (7:45pm Nigeria time).
