Nigeria is set to engage in an international friendly match against Saudi Arabia at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão in Portugal on Friday evening. The kick-off time for this international friendly match is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Following this encounter with Saudi Arabia, Nigeria’s national team will go on to face Mozambique in another friendly match the following week. These matches have been organized as part of the Super Eagles’ preparations for their crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in November.

The most recent meeting between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia took place in 2010 in Austria, resulting in a goalless draw in that friendly match.

FIFA, the global governing body of football, has already designated Portuguese official, Luis Godinho, as the referee for this international friendly match between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Assisting Godinho on the field will be fellow countrymen, Bruno Jesus as assistant referee one, Tiago Costa as assistant referee two, and Miguel Noguera as the fourth official.

In addition, FIFA has appointed Helder Carvalho to oversee the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) operations, with Bruno Vieira serving as Carvalho’s assistant in the VAR room.

Nigeria’s team news:

The Super Eagles’ head coach, Jose Peseiro, has already called up the 25 players who will assemble for the upcoming friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique.

Gift Orban was omitted and Terem Moffi from Nice was called instead, a change from the previous game against Sao Tome and Principe.

Unfortunately, Nottingham Forest’s attacker, Taiwo Awoniyi, will not be available for Nigeria’s friendly fixtures against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique due to an injury. Awoniyi recently suffered a groin injury during training with Nottingham Forest, which is expected to keep him sidelined for approximately a month. Nottingham Forest manager, Steve Cooper, confirmed this injury before their Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Furthermore, Nottingham Forest defender, Ola Aina has also been ruled out of the two friendly matches due to an injury. Aina was included in the 25-man squad for these games, but Nottingham Forest has confirmed that he is currently dealing with a muscle injury, with no definitive return date at the moment.

On a positive note, Jose Peseiro has extended an invitation to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who currently plays for Turkish Super Lig club Hatayspor, marking his maiden appearance in the national team.

The Super Eagles will commence their training camp in Faro, Portugal, today in preparation for the friendly matches.

In recent times, Nigeria has displayed solid form, winning three out of their last six matches against teams such as Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau (in a two-leg encounter), Portugal, and Costa Rica.

Saudi Arabia’s team news:

Saudi Arabia is heading into the match against Nigeria on the back of a challenging period, having suffered defeats in each of their last six matches. These losses came from the hands of South Korea, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Poland.

The Green Falcons are eager to secure their first victory under the guidance of their new coach, Roberto Mancini, who assumed the role in August.

Roberto Mancini has already revealed his 31-man squad for the upcoming matches against Nigeria and Mali in the following week. The majority of the players in the squad are based in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Hilal contributing the most players, numbering 12, to the roster. This selection reflects Mancini’s approach to building the team and working with the talent available within the country.

Nigeria’s probable starting XI:

Francis Uzoho, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi, Kenneth Omeruo, Calvin Bassey, Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Victor Boniface.

Saudi Arabia’s probable starting XI:

Mohammed Al-Owais, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Saud Abulhamid, Salem Al-Dawsari, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohamed Kanno, Eid Al-Muwallad, Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Prediction on the match:

There is a prevailing belief that Nigeria will beat Saudi Arabia, with the match ending 2-1 in favour of Nigeria.

This belief gained ground with an interview with Isa Saleh Sadiq, a Football scout and the CEO of International Football Academy based in Northern Nigeria, who gave his opinion on the match.

Sadiq said,

“This international friendly will be a tough one for both teams. The Saudi are yet to win a game under Mancini. I think the Italian has lost his first two games in charge of the team. So I expect him to come out with a formidable team that will match the Super Eagles.

“Let’s not forget that the Saudi team participated in the last World Cup in Qatar and even defeated the World Cup champions Argentina in the group stage in Qatar. So I expect a very close game against Nigeria.”

Expressing his happiness for some of the players invited by Peseiro to partake in the friendly game, Sadiq continued,

“I must give kudos to Peseiro for inviting players who are on form and playing regularly for their club sides. I am particularly happy to see OGC Nice player Terem Moffi, Victor Boniface, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of Hatayaspor for his maiden call-up to the national team.

However, I am not pleased that only one local player from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) made the list in the person of [Olorunleke] Ojo, who is Enyimba FC goalkeeper.

Well, I don’t know why Peseiro did not invite at least three to five home-based players for this game. He has his reasons, maybe it was because the domestic league just started recently, I’m not certain but I hope in subsequent matches he invites the local players. This boosts the morale of players in the NPFL.”

When he was asked to give his prediction on the game, Sadiq said,

“Well, the last time both teams met, they drew goalless, that was over a decade. We now have a new crop of players on both teams.

However, like I said earlier, I don’t think the game will be easy for both teams. I expect a tough game and a close outcome. Nigeria won by 1-0 or 1-1 draw.”

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