2022 WC playoff : The two players with potential expected to play key roles for Super Eagles vs Ghana

Published: March 25, 2022

An in-depth look at two players with potential that might likely catapult the Super Eagles into a win in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup playoff against Ghana in Kumasi on Friday evening.

My focus here is on their impact in and around the 18 yard box.These two players are prolific forward Victor Oshimen and midfielder maestro Joe Aribo.

Victor Osimhen

When you have a player of Oshimen's pedigree and style of play, you can be rest assured that defenders on the day are going to have a tough time the entire match.

He likes to beat his opponents by using his pace and this will prove crucial if Ghana play a high line.

Even if this is not the case, I have discovered he has the ability to hold up play and bring in other players into the play.

This ability will help if the Black stars defend deep on the night. In all of this, we have one of the hottest strikers in Europe on our side.

The only missing part of the Oshimen jigsaw is , will he receive quality service from his team mates? I hope he does because you can be sure he has goals in him. His four goals in his last two matches for Napoli give me much hope right now.

Joe Aribo

I actually went on YouTube to watch all of our match highlights in the just concluded 2021 AFCON. Guess what? In some matches, I saw him play some passes inside the 18 yard box of the opponent.

This tells me one thing, he is very instrumental to our attacking play. Believe me that he assist he gave Ihenacho to score the first goal for Nigeria in the AFCON 2021 was a pivotal moment for our team and even the coaching staff.

A headed assist at that. In another article, I would say 'he loves to join in on the attack'.

Another highlight of his game is his ability to receive the ball in between the lines, do some combination, play in the opponents' half that eventually leads to an attacking move in the final third.

With him, our build up play just seems to work out . He will really need to bring his A-game to the fore so our Eagles can soar high.

At this point, this is not to say that the other team mates are not important but rather, I have chosen to elucidate their importance to the team.

Just to prove my neutrality, let me let you in on my little fantasy which I hope becomes a reality tonight.

I usually dream about Oshimen and Chukwueze combining like they did in our qualifying match against Lesotho away from home. Oshimen dropped deep to play in Chukwueze who went on to score.

It was such a beauty to behold. Something I now refer to as the Oshimen / Chukwueze chemistry.

Also worthy of mention is Moses Simon who came out like the Lion King to say ' I am the King of the jungle' with his performances in AFCON 2021.

In summary, I hope the team wins their two legged encounter with the duo of Oshimen and Aribo playing a pivotal role in it.

I for once think the two players can very much make the needed difference.

Kekere Nkop

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