U-20 World Cup: Flying Eagles battle Saudi Arabia in must-win match

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will be aiming for victory against Saudi Arabia on Matchday 2 of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Chile.

After suffering a narrow defeat to Norway in their opening group game on Monday, the Nigerians are condemned to secure maximum points if they hope to remain in contention in the championship.

The Eagles will be hoping for better luck this time, having lost to the Norwegians despite dominating the game and creating several scoring opportunities.

The seven-time African champions were unlucky not to have equalized in the second half of the encounter, and possibly taken all three points.

On two occasions, their appeals for penalty awards were turned down by the referee.

Victory against Saudi Arabia will put the two-time World Cup runners-up in a strong position to qualify for the championship’s Round of 16, ahead of their clash with Colombia on Sunday.

Head Coach Aliyu Zubair is optimistic his wards have shaken off the defeat to Norway, as their attention is now fully on the clash with Saudi Arabia to ensure the team gets the desired result. With all key players available, Coach Zubair may stick to his usual 4-3-3 formation with greater emphasis on attack and ball possession.

Israel Ayuma, Daniel Daga and Charles Agada have all been booked and will have to play with caution to avoid missing the final group game against Colombia.