Super Eagles tackle Egypt on Friday at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna for Group G supremacy in the race for next year’s African Cup of Nations in Gabon; here are five players whose magic can turn the tie in Nigeria’s favour.

Odion Ighalo - Watford fans were not the only ones worried after the former Julius Berger striker failed to find the net in over 500 minutes of football (since January) before scoring against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter finals. Nigerians were concerned as well considering the fact that he’s presently the country’s number one striker. Ighalo not only possess a killer instinct in terms of goal scoring ability, he also has the quality to bring other players into action as seen numerous times in the Watford jersey this season, he scored a goal in his debut against Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna the 2017 AFCON qualifiers on matchday one and many are tipping him to net against the Egyptians again at the same ground. The Pharaohs defence will be wary of him and rightly so because he’s one of the Eagles that could change the game in seconds.

Ahmed Musa - skipper of the Nigerian side and one of the most experienced among the invited players. Over the years, Musa has proven to be a big match player and several people will be counting on him to provide another Argentina-Esque performance. His club form hasn’t been mesmerizing as many expected of him this term after an amazing showing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup but his experience of playing top level football across Europe in the UEFA Champions League coupled with his eye for goal and pace makes the CSKA Moscow star one of the players to watch out as the Egyptians come to town for the ‘big one’

Simon Moses - considered as one of the most promising players out of Nigeria at the moment and rightly so considering the immense talent at this player’s disposal. His two well taken second half goals that ensured Eagles qualify for the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers made many Nigerians take notice of his abilities but for fans of Belgian club Gent, they’ve seen it all before. Moses cannot only play under pressure but also a special knack for free kicks and counter attack situations which makes him another player to look out for against the Pharaohs.

Alex Iwobi - the youngster might not likely start due to the availability of his more illustrious midfield teammates but can always be called upon to add creative spark to a game as seen in many Arsenal games this season. Was one of the most outstanding players for Arsenal in last week’s UEFA Champions League encounter at the Nou Camp which proves that Austin Okocha’s nephew can handle pressure, also the fact that one of Egypt’s most trusted players, Mohammed Elneny is presently his teammate in North London which means he could also be useful to Coach Samson Siasia in terms of tactics.

Carl Ikeme - since replacing Vincent Enyeama as Eagles first choice goalkeeper, the Wolverhampton shot stopper has never had a bad game for Nigeria, in fact he has been named man of the match twice after heroics against Ethiopia and Cameroon.
His saves, leadership quality at the back and experience could be massive against Hector Cuper’s men both at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium and Alexandria, despite being on the bench for most of Wolves games this season, the player is always tuned on for games with Nigeria and he is expected to come to Eagles rescue against the seven time AFCON winners one of Africa’s best teams.