Under-fire coach Jose Peseiro is certainly feeling the heat leading up to the Super Eagles opening AFCON Group A clash against Equatorial Guinea this afternoon.
Injuries to key players like Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Boniface have forced Peseiro to now juggle with various players and formations.
The Portuguese coach was all too happy to go with the 4-4-2 system in September, when the Eagles hosted Sao Tome and Principe in a final 2023 AFCON qualifier in Uyo.
This was to accommodate red-hot strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Victor Boniface.
However, since that 6-0 mauling of Sao Tome, results have not been forthcoming for Peseiro, a forward in his playing days.
The Super Eagles will therefore go into today’s game with a very wretched record after they only won one of their last five matches – one win, three draws and a loss.
They were held to a draw by Saudi Arabia, beat Mozambique 3-2 in friendlies in October, before two disastrous draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November.
They ushered in 2024 with a 2-0 loss to Guinea in a final AFCON warm-up game last week.
Against the Syli Nationale, Peseiro disclosed he tried out a new formation of 3-4-3, which he said worked well in the first half, before he experimented with a 4-3-3 in the second half that he was not pleased with.
Against Equatorial Guinea today, the coach is most likely to revert to a 4-2-3-1, which Gernot Rohr used for most of his time with the Super Eagles.
CAF Player of the Year Victor Osimhen will therefore be the arrowhead of a strike force that also has two wingers and an attacking midfielder.
He will therefore give extra cover to the defence with two defensive midfielders, one of who will often link up with the attack as a box-to-box midfielder.
Peseiro will keep faith with Francis Uzoho in goal after late call-up Stanley Nwabali fell short during his brief audition, while Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka will be the main pivot in midfield.
He will pick Ademola Lookman ahead of Moses Simon on the left wing, while there could well be a surprise at right wing.
The younger defenders will make up his back four as their older and more experienced direct rivals have showed their best years are behind them.
