Former AFCON champions will face the Mexican national team in the first of two friendly matches scheduled to prepare the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the AFCON qualifiers next month.
According to recent reports, Umar Sadiq may be unavailable for Nigeria’s friendly match against Mexico’s El Tri in the United States.
The Super Eagles will face the North American giants on May 29 at AT & T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the same day Almeria will face Leganes in the final match of the regular Spanish Segunda Division season.
With automatic promotion to La Liga on the line, it’s shaping up to be the most important game of Almeria’s season. At the weekend, Sadiq, Almeria’s top scorer, fired blanks as La Union were held to a 1-1 draw at home by basement club Alcorcon.
A victory in that match would have ensured Sadiq’s promotion to the elite division and freed him up to fulfill the national assignment.
The Rojiblancos now face a win-or-bust situation against Leganes on the 29th, with a draw or loss pushing them into the promotion playoffs. Especially if Eibar avoids defeat at Alcorcon and Real Valladolid defeats Huesca at home. Unsurprisingly, Almeria will not part with their most valuable player for this crucial meeting, but the club has yet to communicate on the subject.
However, according to Estadio Deportivo, head coach Rubi previously stated that La Union would not allow Sadiq to leave for the Super Eagles match if their promotion hopes hinged on the season finale against Leganes.
“We haven’t discussed it yet, but logic tells us that if we play for something against Leganés, Sadiq will not go to those friendlies,” Rubi said when the Super Eagles 30-man list for the friendlies was released a few weeks ago.
Sadiq’s absence would be devastating for the Super Eagles, especially since star striker Victor Osimhen was not invited to the friendlies. The following players: Paul Onuachu of Genk, Taiwo Awoniyi of Union Berlin, and Odion Ighalo of Al Hilal are also unavailable for the matches.
Maduka Okoye, the Watford goalkeeper, is also expected to miss the games against Mexico and Ecuador. When Nigeria played Mexico in a friendly last year, El Tri thrashed a Super Eagles team B made up mostly of players from the NPFL 4-0.
