Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Sekou Chelle has fired up his band of untested and rookie players to step up to be counted when they battle Zimbabwe this Tuesday in the opening match of the 2026 Unity Cup, Sports247 reports.
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Chelle buttressed the fact that several regulars of the Super Eagles are not in London for the four-nation invitational competition, which was the first trophy he won after taking over the squad in January 2025, and urged the rookies to aspire for regular spots.
He pointed out after the team’s last training session on Monday at The Artic Stadium in Cray Valley area of London that the large number of ‘untested’ players invited for the four-nation competition should use the opportunity to get into the main squad.
The Franco-Malian tactician also urged all players in camp, especially the debutants, to take advantage of the friendly nature of the 2026 Unity Cup to prove their quality and show that they deserve regular spots for competitive games with the team.
His comments came on the heel of Monday’s final training session that involved a total of 20 players, as the technical crew fine-tuned strategies for Tuesday’s fixture against Zimbabwe, in which Chelle will balance top stars with emerging talents.
There is a tussle between Wrexham of Wales goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo and Cyprus-based Francis Odinaka Uzoho, alongside Michael Atata of Ikorodu City of Lagos for the starting role between the posts, in the absences of Stanley Nwabali and Maduka Okoye.
Other players from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) gunning for shirts include Ayobami Junior (Shooting Stars of Ibadan) and Obinna Igboke (Rangers of Enugu), while the attacking options are Akor Adams, Terem Moffi, Femi Azeez and Philip Otele.
Sports247 reports that Chelle conceded earlier that he will use the Unity Cup as an experimental lap to expand his squad’s depth and test fringe players, then turn attention to the key players for next month’s friendlies away to Poland and Portugal.
He will then combine lessons learnt from all the matches in May and June to start making fresh plans and outline new strategies heading into what is expected to be highly competitive qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
