Argentina Names 'Killer' Squad for Country
17 May 2011
http://allafrica.com/stories/201105170279.html

Argentina Football Federation (AFA) Monday made good it's intention to file a top list set of players against the Super Eagles in the international friendly slated for the Abuja National Stadium on June 1.

For the match, which is being facilitated by Guinness Nigeria Plc, Argentine Coach, Sergio Batista has sent to AFA for release an impressive array of world-class players; many of who were in the Albeceleste squad that edged the Super Eagles out of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Apart from Adrian Gabbarini who stars for local side, Independentiete, all the rest play for top European league club sides. As widely anticipated, Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano are not included in the Argentine squad due to Champions League final commitments with their club, Barcelona.

It is also confirmed that Carlos Tevez, who was tested for fitness in the FA Cup final at the weekend and could only manage half of the game, is not match fit enough for the Abuja clash as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

While unveiling his team Monday, Coach Batista said: "I have named a world class squad for Guinness The Match. It befits our status as one of the world's greatest and most successful football nations and combines the strength of our more experienced team members together with the best of our exciting young talent. We intend to put the Super Eagles to the test in a way only Argentina can - and we will win for our fans and our nation."

But his opposite number in the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia, was unfazed by the array of stars coming to Abuja for the game, insisting that he would not let down Nigerian fans:

"It is not about the individual players such as Messi and Tevez. The strength and success of Argentina and the threat they pose, comes from the depth and breadth of their football talent. This is what makes Guinness The Match such an exciting challenge for me personally and all our players.

"The Coach's named squad is impressive - with such an array of talent available to him he has put forward a clever combination of tried and tested players with solid international experience together with the exciting skill of the phenomenal rising stars of Argentina. We knew full well that he could raise a world-class team to maintain their unbeaten record against us and defend their ranking as 5th in the world. With this squad he is definitely playing to win. But we will be well prepared and fielding our very best team.

"Fans can expect a thrilling game. It will be a match for the history books and we will show what we are made of. We will not let the fans down. In return we ask them to play their part and show their support"

Leading football authority and former Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce who managed Jay Jay Okocha at Bolton Wanderers and was present at the announcement of Guinness The Match earlier this year, also commented on the Albeceleste.

"I am impressed with the coach's choice. There is a genuine, dynamic mix of youth and experience that should ignite the Argentine side on the night.

"It'll be fascinating to see who is picked for the team on the day. I would love to see the likes of Perotti step up. Pablo Zabaleta has just won the FA Cup with Manchester City and been a vital member of the team that has secured a place in the UEFA Champions League next year.

"Franco Jara and Nicolas Gaitan were a core part of the Benfica team that won the 2010/11 Portuguese League Cup Final on the 23rd April, clinching their 3rd consecutive league cup trophy. In fact Franco Jara is a really exciting talent. He was called up to the Argentine national team on 19 January 2010 for a match against Costa Rica. The match finished 3-2 with Jara scoring the match-winning goal.

"Since his inclusion in the Argentine starting line-up at the FIFA World Cup, the highly exciting Nicolas Otamendi (also with 4 league goals in 11 appearances since his transfer to Porto this season) is a real name to watch out for. He and Fernando Belluschi have just helped FC Porto to win the Portuguese Liga. Porto are also playing in the Europa League Final on the 18th May in Dublin.

Ruben Marco and Mateo Musacchio instrumental in steering Villarreal to the Europa League semifinal. Although still relatively young, Musacchio made his La Liga debut on 13 February 2010, playing the last 15 minutes in a 2-1 home win against Athletic Bilbao. From that moment onwards, he was permanently promoted to Villarreal's first team, successively surpassing more experienced Iván Marcano and Gonzalo Rodríguez - the latter his compatriot - in the defensive pecking order.

"Siasia will doubtless now be reading this with heightened interest and I am now intrigued to see who he will name. He too has some exciting young talent in his armoury. One thing's for sure, it will certainly provide the fans with a spectacular high tension, action-packed 90 minutes."

THE FULL LIST:
GABBARINI, Adrian - Independiente, Argentina
ZABALETA, Pablo - Manchester City, England
ANGELERI, Marcos - Sunderland FC, England
GARAY, Ezequiel - Real Madrid, Spain
OTAMENDI, Nicolas - Porto FC, Portugal
FAZIO, Federico - Sevilla, Spain
BELLUSCHI, Fernando - Porto FC, Portugal
CABRAL, Alejandro - Legia Varsovia. Poland
FORMICA, Mauro - Blackburn Rovers, England
INSUA, Emiliano - Galatasaray, Turkey
CRISTALDO, Jonathan - Metalist Kharkiv, Ukraine
GAITAN, Nicolas - Benfica, Portugal
PIATTI, Pablo - Almeria, Spain
RUBEN, Marco - Villarreal, Spain
JARA, Franco - Benfica, Portugal
PEROTTI, Diego - Sevilla, Spain
BOSELLI, Mauro - Genoa, Italy
BERTOLO, Nicolas - Real Zaragoza, Spain
COSTA, Tino - Valencia, Spain
MUSACCHIO, Mateo - Villarreal, Spain

And some Nigerians are complaining about the absence of Messi, Di Maria, Higuain, Aguero, Pastore, Milito, Tevez and co. Like sey our best players play in clubs as good/big as those of these ''2nd string'' Argentine players'

This reminds me of the Nigeria vs Brazil friendly match in Abuja in 2003 in which they came with a ''second string'' side that had only one of their R-trio (Ronaldinho) and they still walloped us 4-0. Something tells me these South Americans will inflict another defeat on the Super Eagles. . .

Siasia's present record stands at P-6, W-5, D-0, L-1. By June 1st, it'd be P-7, W-5, D-0, L-2. Anyway, na just friendly. . .I'll rather we lose this big grade-A friendly match and beat Ethiopia in the important AFCON 2012 qualifier 3 days later

Poor Samson Siasia!!

Thirteen players have arrived at the Super Eagles’ hotel camp in Abuja ahead of Wednesday’s international friendly against their Argentine counterparts.

SuperSport.com has learned that the duo of Chibuzor Okonkwo and Ehiosun Ekigho had already breezed into Nigerian capital ahead of the 1pm deadline of Monday handed to the playing personnel of the Super Eagles.

Among players that arrived early at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja are the three goalkeepers, Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba and Austin Ejide.

Others also in camp at present ahead of the deadline are Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi, Obinna Nsofor, Victor Anichebe, Ikechukwu Uche, Kalu Uche, Joseph Yobo, Isaac Promise and Emmanuel Emenike.

Reports say the presidential inauguration in the Nigerian capital on Sunday was responsible for the camp of the Super Eagles being opened on Monday instead of Sunday.

Ahmed Musa and Peter Utaka had earlier declared that they will arrive in the country on Monday after they had to stay back and play for their clubs in the Dutch and Danish leagues on Sunday.

Other players yet to arrive at the team’s camp apart from Musa and Utaka are Dele Adeleye, Yusuf Mohammed, Efe Ambrose, Taye Taiwo, Fengor Ogude, Nosa Igiebor, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Joel Obi.

It is also now clear that Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi placed on stand-by for the game against Argentina will take no part since their international switch is still pending.

PLAYERS IN CAMP

Vincent Enyeama
Dele Aiyenugba
Austin Ejide
John Mikel Obi
Obinna Nsofor
Victor Anichebe
Ikechukwu Uche
Kalu Uche
Joseph Yobo
Isaac Promise
Emmanuel Emenike
Chibuzor Okonkwo
Ehiosun Ekigho

_{Argentina at the Abuja National Stadium for a training session}


Argentina have arrived in Nigeria ahead of Wednesday’s international friendly against the Super Eagles. The Argentine contingent touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, Abuja on Sunday evening.

The South Americans will have their first training session between 3:30 and 5:30pm on Monday. The session will be held at the training pitch of the Abuja National Stadium.

Meanwhile, Niger’s Ibrahim Chaibouhas been selected to referee the game. He will be assisted by compatriots, Itinni Haman and Abdoulaye Mamane. Nigeria’s Bunmi Ogunkolade will serve as fourth official.

Wednesday’s game will start at 7pm.

It is the fifth clash between both countries at senior level.

Samson Siasia, presently Nigeria’s coach, is the only man to have scored against Argentina at senior level, in the 2-1 loss to the Diego Maradona-led to the Argies at the Foxboro Stadium, Massachusetts, USA at the 1994 Fifa World Cup.

Both teams drew 0-0 at the Intercontinental Tournament for the King Fahd Cup (now Fifa Confederations Cup) in January in 1995, but the Super Eagles were edged by the odd goal at the 2002 Fifa World Cup and the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals in Japan and South Africa respectively.

However, Nigerians retain good memories of a 3-2 win over the South Americans in the gold medal match of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, USA.

The Super Eagles, who will hit camp on Monday, will have their first training session at the same venue between 5.30pm and 7.30pm of the same day.

Both sessions will be open to the media.

Tuesday’s training sessions, which will see both teams train at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, will be closed, with media presence allowed only for the first 15 minutes.

Argentina will train first from 3pm to 5pm.

namdo:

make we watch the game, na friendly with a nigerian refereeeeeeeee na waoooo dem no fit get ref from outside de country?

Emmysteve:

make we watch the
game, na friendly with a
nigerian refereeeeeeeee
na waoooo dem no fit
get ref from outside de
country

who do you this thing?