Coach Manu Garba may possibly stick with the team that wrought the 7-0 massacre of Congo on Sunday when the Golden Eaglets tackle Tunisia on Wednesday at Grande Stade Marrakech in the second semi-finals of the on-going Morocco 2013 CAN Under-17 Championship.
Manu hardly gamble with his team unless inevitable and has admitted as much while speaking ahead of the match after the team’s training on Tuesday.
“Of course, all the players are ready and fit to go and that means we can still call on the same players that did us proud against Congo,” he said matter-of-factly. “But we have to wait till tomorrow (today) (Wednesday) to know who and who is ready for the task against Tunisia.”
He added: “We are at a delicate stage of this campaign because it’s a winner takes all match and for that reason, there is no need to gamble.”
Should that be the case, the duo of Success Isaac and Kelechi Iheanacho may play in a twin-attacking formation to cause problems for
the oppositions. The two marksmen have scored 10 goals out of the teams’ total 17 so far in the tournament.
Iheanacho, for instance, justified his inclusion ahead of Taiwo Awoniyi in the starting line up against the hapless Junior Red Devils of Congo when he grabbed a hat trick to add to his solitary strike against Ghana.
Success has cemented his position in the team and he is the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals.
There could be reserved spaces for the likes of Ifeanyi Matthew and Chidiebere Nwakali, who plays in the midfield.
Also, there is no qualms about defender Izu Omego and hardworking captain and defender, Musa Mohammed, as well as goalkeeper Adeyinka Adewale.
Yet Manu was coy when pressed for any joker against Tunisia, saying he has a pool of players that can deliver the goods.
He said: “I always pray to God to give me the wisdom in pick the right players for any particular match and you know I do this in conjunction with my assistants. The match is just hours away, so let us keep our fingers crossed until Wednesday.”
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