Francis Uzoho:
The improving youngster has come on leaps and bounds since the World Cup, as he continues to cement his place as Nigeria’s number one. He didn’t have much to do in Uyo, but made a fine stop in the first-half to deny Libya from getting an equalizer. Having come across as jittery early on in his Super Eagles career, the Elche stopper is proving he can be relied on if his defence is breached.
Jamilu Collins:
Gernot Rohr made the decision to hand the Paderborn left-back a debut against the Mediterranean Knights and he gave as good as he got. He was the more solid of the Nigeria full-backs, seemed assured in possession, while the fact that he’s naturally left-footed, as opposed to Brian Idowu, is an added advantage. The 24-year old almost had a debut to remember after his lung-bursting run saw his eventual effort come back off the bar, and might be worth keeping in the side following his unblemished display.
Wilfred Ndidi:
Frankly, the performance in Uyo wasn’t one of the midfielder’s better ones in the green jersey, but his sheer importance to the West Africans means he’s a shoo-in for the return leg against the North African nation. You also feel the Libyans will carry more of an attacking threat than they did in Uyo, and the ball-winning ability of the tenacious Leicester City man will shine through.
Alex Iwobi:
A man-of-the-match performance by Nigeria’s creator-in-chief will have him top of the list of players Rohr will rely on in the rematch. He always made himself available for the ball and everything went through him in Nigeria’s impressive win. The in-form attacking midfielder was directly involved in Ighalo’s second, and also played a part in the forward’s third. Iwobi will certainly fancy himself against a Libyan side that will, predictably, be reeling following their heavy defeat.
Odion Ighalo:
What a difference a few months make. The China-based forward wasn’t the most fancied name in the Nigeria setup prior to the grand showpiece in Russia, and he nearly made himself persona non grata following the nation’s 2-1 defeat by Argentina, with his bad miss. The much-maligned Ighalo has, however, risen above the disappointment, evidenced by his four goals in two games for the Super Eagles since the competition. His hat-trick against the Libyans saw him become the 10th player to achieve the feat in the Green jersey, and the frontman will be one of the first names on Rohr’s team-sheet as he seeks to continue his purple patch.