Sampaoli: We won’t use FIFA Rankings to judge Nigeria
Head Coach of Argentina Senior team, Jorge Sampaoli has backed three times African Champion, the Super Eagles of Nigeria to prove the FIFA Ranking wrong.
The 57-year-old while backing the Argentina Football Association’s decision to set up a friendly against a 41st ranked Nigeria, said the ranking is not the true reflection of the technically and physically strong Gernot Rohr tutored side.
The former Chilean national team coach also praised Nigeria as one of the best teams, despite being 5th in the African ranking.
“For now, they are one of the best teams in Africa, which tells a lot about their qualities. We are expecting a very challenging game from Nigeria. They are good in several ways.
“The FIFA ranking sometimes do not reflect the real situation of a nation’s playing strength, they beat the African champions convincingly in the qualifiers, which shows how good they are and we must approach the match with all seriousness,” Sampoli concluded.
The November 14th friendly between Nigeria and Argentina will be the 8th meeting between the two countries in all competitions and it will be played in the Russian city of Krasnodar at the Krasnodar Arena Stadium.
