The Nigerian Super Eagles to take on Argentina On Tuesday September 6 @ 2pm

Super Eagles of Nigeria

La Albiceleste of Argentina

Nigeria Vs Agentina On SuperSport 7 @ 2pm

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be taking on Argentina in a friendly match on Tuesday 6th March in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This match comes up exactly two days after the Super Eagles play Madagascar in an AFCON 2012 Qualifier in Antananarivo and four days after Argentina play Venezuela in a friendly match in Kolkata, India.

The last time the two sides met was in June 2011 in a friendly match played in Abuja and then the Super Eagles trounced the Argentines 4-1. That result coupled with the loss to Poland a week later and the disgraceful performance of the team in the COPA America resulted in the sacking of Sergio Batista and the appointment of Alejandro Sabella as coach.

Alejandro Sabella wanting to start off on a good note has named a 23-man crack squad to be captained by Lionel Messi for this match. The full team is made up of: Goalkeepers - Mariano Andújar (Catania/Italy), Sergio Romero (Sampdoria/Italy), Esteban Andrada (Lanus/Argentina)
Defenders - Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City/England), Nicolás Burdisso (Roma/Italy), Nicolás Pareja (Spartak Moscow/Russia), Marcos Rojo (Spartak Moscow/Russia), Martín Demichelis (Malaga/Spain), Federico Fernández (Napoli/Italy), Nicolás Otamendi (Porto/Portugal)
Midfielders - Ángel di María (Real Madrid/Spain), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Spain), Javier Pastore (Paris Saint-Germain/France), Éver Banega (Valencia/Spain), Ricardo Álvarez (Internazionale/Argentina), Lucho González (Marseille/France), Jonás Gutiérrez ( Newcastle United/England), Fabián Rinaudo (Sporting Lisbon/Portugal), José Ernesto Sosa (Metalist Kharkiv/Ukraine)
Forwards - Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid/Spain), Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Spain- captain), Sergio Agüero (Manchester City/England) & Eduardo Salvio (Athletico Madrid/Spain)

Gaffer of the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia has been forced to leave out some key players like Osaze Odemwingie, Taiye Taiwo & Ekhigo Ehiosun cos of injury and match rustiness. Kalu Uche has also been excused to allow him settle at his new club. Those that will prosecute the match are :  Goalkeepers - Vincent Enyeama , Dele Aiyenugba , Chigozie Agbim
Defenders - Chibuzor Okonkwo, Elderson Echiejile, Joseph Yobo, Yusuf Ayila, Efe Ambrose, Dele Adeleye, Gege Soriola
Midfielders - Joel Obi, John Mikel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Emmanuel Ekpo, Isaac Promise, Nosa Igiebor, Solomon Okoronkwo, Ahmed Musa 
Forwards- Obinna Nsofor, Victor Anichebe, Ike Uche, Emmanuel Emenike, Peter Utaka, Chinedu Obasi, Brown Ideye

Despite their recent run of poor results, the La Albiceleste will still be considered as favourites to win cos of the sheer ability and class of the individual players in the team. Also, Argentinina occupies the 9th position on the FIFA ranking index while the Super Eagles are ranked 38th. Added to this is the partisan support guaranteed the team as a result of the ''god-like'' status of Lionel Messi in Bangladesh and the current wave of ''messimania'' sweeping Bangladesh. Still the Nigerian side is not one to be sniffed at, and they boast amongst their ranks experienced and quality players as Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo, John Mikel Obi, Joel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Brown Ideye and Chinedu Obasi.

Although Samson Siasia has said this match is not the priority and a ''must win'' for his team, you can be sure he'd still want to win and prove to those who were unappreciative of his side's 4-1 victory in June that he can get good results against the best of teams.

So what will be the outcome of this match? Drop your comments, predictions and vote in the poll. . . .  

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW RESULTS

Below are the gropings:


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW

Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli


Group B: Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor


Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, Basel, Otelul Galati


Group D: Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb


Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk


Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund


Group G: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, APOEL


Group H: Barcelona, Milan, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen


What do you think about this grouping?

Uefa Super Cup 2011 : Barcelona Vs Porto Today At 7:45pm (Nig.Time)

Managers Pep Guardiola and Vítor Pereira are predicting an exciting game between Barcelona and Porto in the Uefa Super Cup at Stade Louis II on Friday.

Barça have set a Super Cup record by reaching the Monaco showpiece for an eighth time – and Guardiola has promised an enthralling clash between two of Europe’s most prestigious clubs.

“Finals are meaningful when you play against clubs with a great history – it was an honour to play against Manchester United and it’s an honour to play against one of the strongest teams in the world now in Porto,” said Guardiola on Thursday.

“Mathematically their figures are impeccable and when you watch them play you can see they do things very well. I think it will be an excellent final, just like the Champions League was.”

It will be the eighth occasion the two sides have met in European competition, with Barça holding the superior record after having secured victory over their Portuguese opponents on four previous occasions.

Guardiola will be without defender Gerard Piqué, who tore his calf in training last Tuesday, while Carles Puyol is unavailable after undergoing surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee in June.

Meanwhile, Porto are making their fourth appearance in the Super Cup – they triumphed in 1987 before losing both previous trips to Monaco in 2003 and 2004.

As in 1987 and 2004, the Europa League winners approach the final with a different coach from the one that won their qualifying competition – Pereira replaced André Villas-Boas as Porto manager this summer and his first test in Europe will be for his side to contain the newly-crowned Best Player in Europe, Lionel Messi.

“You can’t stop Messi with any special tactic,” said Pereira. “You stop him with a strong team performance, by concentrating defensively, covering each other and anticipating intentions. You will see our own game plan and identity; you don’t adapt to your opponent.”

Although Pereira admits Barça are the best team he had seen in his lifetime, the Porto boss promised his side would put on a show against the Champions League holders.

“We’re here on our own merit following a great season,” Pereira said. “We know Barcelona are a great team, but we’re not here to see them play. We came here to win this game so we have the ingredients for a great spectacle.”

Porto have faced Spanish opposition in the Super Cup before – the Portuguese side suffered a 2-1 defeat by Valencia in 2004 and it is the only occasion in which a Spanish and a Portuguese team have faced each other in Monaco.


http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2011/08/barcelona-v-porto-uefa-super-cup-2011-preview/

The 2011/12 Uefa Champions League Draw! 4.45pm Nig. Time

The draw for the Champions League Group Stage takes place on Thursday in Monaco from 4.45pm (UK time).

How the draw works

The 32 clubs who feature in the draw are split into four pots of eight based on their UEFA coefficient scores. These are based on performance in European competitions over the last five years.

A total of eight groups of four teams will be drawn with one side from each seeding pot in each group. No side can be drawn against another from the same pot, nor can they play a team from their home country.

Where two sides from the same country have qualified, they will be paired to split their matches between Tuesday and Wednesday, so one club will always play at home on one day and the other will play away on the other day. In the case of countries with three representatives, only two teams have been paired in terms of their fixtures; in the case of countries with four representatives, two pairings have been made.

To ensure sides from the same country play on separate days, the eight groups will be distinguished by colour: Groups A-D will be red and Groups E-H blue. When a paired club is drawn, for example, into one of the red groups, the other paired club - once it has been drawn - will automatically be assigned to one of the four blue groups.

The order of home and away matches will be determined after the draw has taken place.

Pot One:
Barcelona
Manchester United
Chelsea
Bayern Munich
Arsenal
Real Madrid
FC Porto
Internazionale

Pot Two:
AC Milan
Lyon
Shakhtar Donetsk
Valencia
Benfica
Villarreal
CSKA Moscow
Marseille

Pot Three:
Zenit St. Petersburg
Ajax
Bayer Leverkusen
Olympiakos
Manchester City
Lille
FC Basel
BATE Borisov

Pot Four:
Borussia Dortmund
Napoli
Dinamo Zagreb
Apoel FC
Trabzonspor
Genk
Viktoria Plzen
Otelul Galati


So have your say! What do you think the groupings would be like?

Pictures of Mikel Obi's father's kidnappers

About 2 weeks ago, the father of the Super Eagle and Chelsea FC star was kidnapped. This kidnappers (who were 6 in number including a lady) were recently nabbed by the Nigerian Police. Two of the kidnappers who are soldiers would be court martialled this week. The kidnappers' photos are shown below. 

Here are their names in full. Nkechi Ossai, Ifeanyi Essien, Jacob Cowen, Ndubusi Friday, Basil Chukwuma and Sule Ibrahim.

Mikel Obi's father found alive and freed in Kano

Police spokesman Olusola Amore told The Associated Press that investigators followed Michael Obi's trail from central Nigeria's Plateau state to Kano, one of the nation's largest cities. There, officers raided the area where Obi was held, freeing him and arresting a number of kidnappers, Amore said.

Amore said he had other details about the operation on Monday night.

Michael Obi was kidnapped on Aug. 12 while on his way home from work in the central Nigerian city of Jos.

Officers raided a neighbourhood in the Nigerian city Kano on Monday where they found Michael Obi and arrested five suspects.

Obi was kidnapped on 12 August as he travelled home from work in the city of Jos, around 200 miles away from Kano.

He told reporters: "I started begging them but they beat me mercilessly. They kept me in a terrible place."

The BBC's Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai said Obi's face showed signs of the beatings that he says he endured during his ordeal.

"I was taken right deep into the bush, in an isolated area in Jos", Obi said.

"There are five of them and they were dressed in military uniforms. They pushed me into a vehicle painted in military colours and began to drive very fast. I never knew a vehicle can fly like that."

Mikel's management company Sport Entertainment & Media Group (SEM) said in a statement: "Earlier today Michael Obi called his family to advise them that he had been released by his abductors.

"John Obi Mikel would like to thank everyone in Nigeria, his family and friends, Chelsea FC and their fans and his agents for their total support during this terrible time."

During the time of his father's disappearance, Mikel continued playing for Chelsea - starting matches against both Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion.

On Friday, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas hailed the "amazing mental toughness" shown by the midfielder in the wake of his father's kidnapping.

A Chelsea statement said: "Mikel has shown outstanding commitment and professionalism during this most difficult of times, and the club will continue to offer its full support to him and his family."

It isn't the first time a football player's family has been targeted in Nigeria. In 2008, gunmen abducted the younger brother of Everton defender Joseph Yobo as he left a nightclub in Port Harcourt, the delta's largest city. The brother was released unharmed about two weeks later, though it was unclear if a ransom had been paid.

Michael Obi's abduction came after a Forbes magazine survey in June listed Mikel as the seventh highest-paid African player in Europe. The magazine listed Mikel's salary as $5.8 million a year.

Mikel begs kidnappers: Let my dad go - he's an old man

Distraust Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has pleaded with the gang who snatched his dad in Nigeria to free him.


The 24-year-old midfielder told of his shock at hearing Michael had vanished after leaving the ­transport company he runs on Friday. There has been no ransom note and no one has made contact with the player or his family since his kidnap.


Mikel, who at the weekend played for the Blues despite the anguish of knowing Michael was missing, looked ­devastated as he said: “Whoever has got my dad or knows where he is, please contact me and hopefully he should be released.

“He’s an old man and hasn’t done any harm to anyone as far as I know. I have always tried to help the country in every way I can, playing for the country, serving the country. This is the time for the country to help me in this situation. “This is still a shock to me and my brother, we can’t believe it and we don’t know what to do.”


Kidnapping is common in Nigeria. Targets are usually relatives of the rich or western oil workers, snatched and held to ransom. Michael vanished in Jos – a city Mikel insists is not normally associated with abductions.


The £70,000-a-week Nigerian ­international, said to be the seventh highest-paid African player in Europe, added: “It is normally safe in Jos and this is very rare. My family have lived there all our lives and the kidnappers will know who my dad is and who his son is.”


Mikel said he took the agonising decision to play in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at Stoke on Sunday after his mum begged him to.


“It was very ­difficult," he added. "The manager asked me how I felt and I said I didn’t want to let my team down, the club down or my family. “If I didn’t play I think my mum would be very sad with me. I think I made their day by playing. I spoke to my mum before the game and she said to be strong and do make sure I do well in the game.


“My team-mates didn’t really know. My family didn’t want to tell me about my dad. They wanted to wait until after the game but the manager had to tell me, he said I had to know.” Mikel’s agent, John Shittu, praised his courage for playing against Stoke. He said: “He is totally devastated. We were not sure whether to tell him before the game".But after speaking to manager Andre Villas-Boas and sporting director Mike Emenalo we agreed he had a right to be informed of such a serious incident. He was under a lot of stress but he showed a lot of character and mental strength to play. It’s been tough for the young man. The family in Jos reported his dad missing at the police station as expected but we’re taking all necessary measures to find him. “We’ve told him to be brave and to stay calm.”


Police in Nigeria have told Mikel, who has won 30 caps for his country, not to return to Jos over fears for his safety. Plateau state police ­commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni confirmed Michael had disappeared but said there were no further details. He added: “We are still searching to find his ­location.”


Chelsea said yesterday: “Everyone at this football club was very concerned to hear that John’s father has been reported as missing and possibly abducted. “We will give Mikel and his family our full support at this difficult time.” Mikel’s representatives Sport ­Entertainment and Media announced the news of the kidnap. The agency said: “Thus far no ransom demand has been received.”


Kidnappings are common in Nigeria, with the families of footballers targeted because they are rich. It is in the oil-producing Niger Delta in the south where the majority of abductions for ransom occur.
The older brother of Everton star Joseph Yobo was kidnapped there in 2008. Nornu was freed after 10 days but it is unclear whether a ransom was ever paid. Several Brits have been snatched in recent years including construction and oil workers

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