World Cup Warm-Up: Nigeria To Play England June 2
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face the Three Lions of England on June 2, in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium, London.
The game is expected to prepare both teams ahead of the 2018 World Cup contest which kicks off on June 14.
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The English national team was seeded in the group G and their first match at the World Cup is against Tunisia on 18 June.
Gareth Southgate’s side also face Costa Rica’s Central American neighbours Panama in Russia, with Belgium completing Group G.
In the same vein Gernot Rohr’s men, who were drawn in Group D, begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 16, before games against Iceland and Argentina.
First Vice-president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Seyi Akinwunmi, confirmed on Wednesday details of the friendly game.
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“The match is now confirmed. We had been doing a lot of work in the background, even going back to last year.
“Now, we are happy to say that it is all sealed. Certainly, it is going to be a big match, between two countries of remarkable historical affinity and similarities.
“We have other matches and programmse for the team, and we will soon roll out the entire plan for matches, camping sites and training camps.
“We decided to be strategic in our choice of opponents for the Super Eagles leading to the World Cup, and in total agreement with the preferences of the Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr.
“That is why we opted for England. We played Argentina (in November 2017) without even knowing we were going to be in the same group at the Finals.’’ Akinwunmi who is also the chairman of the federation’s Organizing Committee said.
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Super Eagle technical adviser, Rohr while reacting to the news said he was excited, added that it will help his team prepare better.
“This is good news for myself and the entire team. England is a very strong team presently and I believe they will give us a very good match. We will be able to test our readiness for the World Cup when we meet the Three Lions at Wembley,” the 64 year-old said.
