Scotland Coach, Gordon Strachan, has boasted that the Super Eagles will find their match when both sides step out in Wednesday’s international friendly in London.
Strachan will be hoping for their fourth consecutive away victory and fifth straight clean sheet when they face World Cup-bound Nigeria at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.
He said: “You have to see their squad and who the coach has picked because it changes so rapidly. But I think it will be the serious time for them now. What you’ll get is pace, physical strength and a lot of them play at a good level.
“So if we’re not as physical as them (Eagles) then we have to move the ball about so those physical challenges aren’t there. We stick to what we’re good at. It will be good. “We’ll try to outnumber people in certain areas, use our tenacity, our fitness levels. We do it in a different way to how they do it. They play at a slower pace than us, physically stronger, you don’t take on an opponent at what they are good at.
“And all it is, is you get a couple of decent results, it kind of snowballs. And then you start thinking ‘yeah, I can’t wait till the next game’. Instead of ‘oh no, there’s another game coming in a few weeks’. I think we are now saying ‘I don’t care who you are but bring it on’. You might have more talented players than us but we will make it hard for you. That is the kind of team we have got just now. They are not saying ‘oh no’, they are saying we might not have this one or that one, but as a group…
“That is what we are trying to do just now, trying to find the best group we can have for any game. We hope to get 30-odd that we can pick from. To get to the point that when we get together, no-one is going to let us down in terms of their behaviour, training or selfishness. They can’t be selfish, they need to give everything to the squad. If we get that, then can improve on one or two areas, then we will be good.”
While the Super Eagles are preparing for the World Cup in Brazil, this friendly will also serve as a test game for the Scots ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier against Germany.
Meanwhile, Scotland centre-half, Christophe Berra, stated that no stone will be left unturned as the Scottish national team tackles their African Champions counterparts, Super Eagles, in a friendly tie billed for Craven Cottage, London on Wednesday.
For Berra, taking on a team like Nigeria, with players such as John Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike, is exactly what is needed before they break for the summer.
He said: “You look at the squad Nigeria are taking to the World Cup and they’ve got players at some big clubs across Europe.
“Okay they’re a long way below us in the rankings but that maybe tells you more about how seriously you should take the rankings than it does about their team.
“You just need to look at their players to realise what a tough game this will be.
“There’s an argument to say that with the World Cup only a few weeks away they won’t be taking any risks, but then again maybe a few might be taking the chance to impress and get a jersey for their group games.
“But from our point of view, we’re playing Germany in our next game – we want to be prepared for that and playing against guys of this standard will help. If we’d taken on a smaller team in a game like this, a Malta or someone, you’re only pulling the wool over your own eyes in terms of benefit.
“You’re always better to play good teams and test yourself. If you lose, you lose, but you learn more from that than you would by winning an easy game.”
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