The Super Eagles are set to lock horns with the Cheetahs of Benin in their final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday.
The game holds a high level of importance for not just Benin and Nigeria, but for South Africa too.
If Benin defeat Nigeria, they will seal automatic qualification for the World Cup. But if the Super Eagles claim the victory, they will qualify, provided that South Africa drop points against Rwanda.
Benin have beaten the Super Eagles just once in 17 previous meetings. But Nigeria have not shown so much bite in recent months, so coach Gernot Rohr and his Benin boys can care to dream.
Last time out, Nigeria had a nervy 2-1 win over Lesotho, who are ranked 153rd in the world according to FIFA.
There were a lot of noticeable issues in that game. And ahead of the Benin game on Tuesday, SportsPremi writes three things that Chelle must not do against Rohr and his boys.
1. Tolu Arokodare Must Not Start With Victor Osimhen
Last time out, Eric Chelle started Victor Osimhen and Tolu Arokodare, and that proved to a bad decision. Both players lacked any form of chemistry, they operated on the same lines, and made it quite easy for the Lesotho defenders to mark them.
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Ideally, both players are proper marksmen. They don’t know how to play off another striker. When Akor Adams entered the game on Friday, things changed and the attack started to look more fluid, which brought about the goals.
Chelle will surely stick to his 4-4-2 formation so he should use a striker who likes to drop back and create spaces for his partner to exploit.
2. Eric Chelle Must Not Bench Samuel Chukwueze Again
Fulham man Samuel Chukwueze has looked really good in every game he has played for Nigeria This year. Against Lesotho, he looked very sharp, and was very positive. Unlike Ademola Lookman, he took the game to Lesotho and even created two chances.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that Lookman is ineligible to play against Benin. If Chukwueze starts, he will definitely give the Beninoise a lot of problems.
3. Don’t Listen To The Crowd, Stanley Nwabali Must Start
In the last game against Lesotho, Stanley Nwabali dropped two clangers. Lesotho capitalized on the first and scored. They were close to scoring with the second, but were denied by only a few centimeters.
Following that performance, Nwabali has gotten a lot of flack, with fans even calling on Chelle to bench him.
However, Chelle must not succumb to the crowd, as that might affect the Chippa United star’s confidence.
Moreover, he has proven to be reliable hands in the past. The Lesotho game was a one-off. Nwabali will prove his quality to Nigerians on Tuesday.
