Mikel doubtful, Etebo out as Moses, Ighalo hit Poland

Mikel Obi

It will be a full house on the training pitch for Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr  on Wednesday as most of the players he invited for  the  friendly affair with Poland in Wroclaw on   Friday  arrived at the Super Eagles’ camp in the Polish city  on Tuesday.

The Eagles are scheduled to travel to London for another  warm-up clash against Serbia on March 27 ahead of  the 2018 World Cup in Russia from  June 14 to July 15.

Nigeria face DR Congo in Uyo or Abuja, before  clashing against  England at Wembley on  June 2.

  The Wroclaw camp opened  on Monday  with Bursaspor defender  William  Ekong,  Arsenal attacker Alex Iwobi,  Hull City defender Ola Aina, Ado Den Haag right-back Tyronne Ebuehi, utility   Amkar Perm player Brian Idowu and  Mainz 05 centre-back Leon Balogun.

 But   the arrival of 16 players including injury-prone Torino midfielder Joel Obi, Chelsea star Victor Moses, Leicester City midfield  general  Wilfred Ndidi, who is reportedly high on  Liverpool’s wanted  list, China-based striker Odion Ighalo, CSKA Moscow’s Ahmed Musa and struggling  Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho set the camp alight on Tuesday night.

  Others are  Israel-based midfielder  John Ogu,  Turkey-based Ogenyi Onazi, Standard Liege’s Uche Agbo,  Gent’s Moses Simon,  young Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, Kenneth Omeruo, Elderson Echiejile, Stephen Eze, Abdullahi Shehu and Chidozie Awazien.

 The Nigeria Football Federation  confirmed on Tuesday that Enyimba keeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa and  his South Africa-based rival  Daniel Akpeyi  would hit camp  on Wednesday.

But Rohr’s plans for the fixture against Biało-czerwoni (the White and Reds), who finished third at the 1974  and 1982 World Cups, appears to have been dealt a huge blow with Mikel Obi  a major doubt for the match.

 The  administrator  of the  team Dayo Enebi  said  Tianjin Teda  star Mikel  had been  trying to  renew his work permit in China and would likely miss    Friday’s game.

“We all had been hoping that the renewal would come in good time for him to fly to Poland. As it is now, it is not likely that he would make the trip,”  thenff.com quoted Enebi as saying.

The NFF  ruled out injured  Las Palmas midfielder   Oghenekaro Etebo from the encounter along with  Zamalek winger Junior Ajayi, who was unable to secure a  visa  to enter  Poland.

However, the federation said  the players would  be  in  London for Tuesday’s clash  against  Serbia at The Hive, Canons Park.

Meanwhile, Poland coach Adam Nawalka says the clash against Nigeria  as  well as Tuesday’s fixture against South Korea  will  help his team prepare for the World Cup. Poland are  drawn  in Group H alongside  Japan, Senegal and Colombia  at the  world football’s  showpiece in Russia.

“I’m very happy with my opponents. Both Nigeria and South Korea present a very similar style to our rivals at the World Cup, as well as Chile in June,” Nawalka told the Poland Football Federation official website.