Nations Cup qualifier: Eagles in trouble as Utaka, Osaze and Taiwo ruled out

Posted by admin Headlines Saturday, August 27th, 2011

All is definately not well with the Super Eagles ahead of next Sunday’s all-important Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Antananarivo.

Sunday Sunsports scooped exclusively that Osaze Odemwingie has been ruled out of the game no thanks to a knee injury, which doctors of his premiership side has declared will take another two weeks to heal.

A source close to the player confirmed that he has been advised by doctors to rest the leg for two weeks, even as he has been ruled out of today’s Premiership game against Stoke City.
Denmark-based Peter Utaka is equally nursing a tigh injury, just like Italy-based Taye Taiwo, who landed in a Milan hospital early last week.

A top Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official last night expressed worry over the spate of injuries, even as he disclosed that Coach Smson Siasia is equally worried. He noted that the bad nature of the pitch in Antananarivo is also making Sia One to lose sleep over the game, which the Eagles must win to keep Nations Cup qualification hopes alive.

“We are not just comfortable with what is happening to our players. We would have loved to have Osaze in the team. Taiwo is equally a key defender. With both of them out alongside Utaka, the team is really, really depleted.’’

It would be noted that Siasia last week rolled out a list of 25 players for the match. The Eagles are billed to depart for Madagascar on Wednesday in a charter flight. The NFF wants the team to arrive Antananarivo early for the game in a bid to give the players enough time to acclimatize to the high altitude of the city.

The Eagles won the first leg of the Nations Cup qualifier by 2–0 at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar. But Nigeria is trailing Guinea in the group, which has only one ticket.wp_posts