Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, has said winning Wednesday’s friendly against the Czech Republic will set the team in great psychological tune for the FIFA World Cup finals.
Rohr, who spoke on Tuesday said a win is a target because of the consecutive losses in friendly matches against Serbia and England, especially as Nigeria’s first match in the FIFA World Cup against Croatia is only 10 days away.
He said,
“We will go for victory that would boost spirit and earn team confidence ahead of our first match in Russia. It would not be an easy pick but we will work hard for it.”
Super Eagles Wednesday’s encounter at the Rudolf Tonn Stadium – a multi-use facility in Rannersdorf, a city in the sub-division of Schwechat, outside Vienna – will be the third official meeting between both countries.
Nigeria and then Czechoslovakia drew 1-1 in a group phase match at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, with Vizek scoring for the Czechs in the first half and Henry Nwosu equalizing for the Eagles with six minutes left on the clock.
Nigerian forward Emmanuel Osigwe had his goal from a long-range free-kick disallowed.
The Czechs edged their second meeting in Rabat on December 11, 1996, by two goals to one – as part of the King Hassan Cup Tournament.
Meanwhile, team spirit was further lifted ahead of the match following the arrival of backroom staff members Nnaemeka Anozie (Team Physiotherapist), Chidi Ngoka (Equipment Manager) and Labaran Awaku (Equipment Officer) from London.
They were denied entry visas into Austria by the country’s embassy in Nigeria, but the Nigeria Football Federation approached the Embassy of Austria in the United Kingdom, with the assistance of the Nigeria High Commission in London, and the visas were issued on Tuesday.
