Super Eagles vs Jordan: Is Chelle’s new-look defence ready for tougher test?

Super Eagles will face Jordan on Tuesday, March 31, in their second and final match of the four-nation invitational tournament in Antalya, Afrik Foot reports.

This will be the first-ever senior meeting between the two nations, and for very different reasons, both teams have plenty riding on 90 minutes of football.

Jordan arrive with World Cup motivation

Jordan are not treating this as a casual friendly. They qualified for their first-ever FIFA World Cup earlier this year and have been drawn into Group J alongside defending champions Argentina, Algeria, and Austria.

Their opening match against Austria takes place on June 16 in Santa Clara, California, followed by Algeria on June 22 and Argentina on June 27 in Dallas.

Facing an African side like Nigeria is a deliberate part of their preparation. With Algeria in their World Cup group, they look to test themselves against a team of similar intensity, which makes tactical sense.

They named a strong squad for the tournament in Turkey and have been training in Antalya since arriving earlier in the week.

Nigeria, by contrast, will not be at the World Cup this summer. Their World Cup hopes ended with a penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo last November, and a subsequent appeal to FIFA was ultimately unsuccessful. This match, then, is purely about building a squad ahead of the AFCON qualifiers.

Who starts at centre-back for Super Eagles?

The biggest talking point heading into Tuesday is the centre-back pairing. Igoh Ogbu was forced off due to injury against Iran, and his fitness remains uncertain.

If he is unavailable, Chelle could hand starts to both Emmanuel Fernandez and Chibuike Nwaiwu, who came off the bench on Friday.

Fernandez looked the more polished of the two against Iran after replacing Semi Ajayi at half-time.

Nwaiwu, who was only called up 24 hours before the Iran match as a replacement for the injured Calvin Bassey, needed time to adjust to the tempo but grew into the game and committed no significant errors.

A Fernandez-Nwaiwu partnership would be untested and raw, but it would give Chelle exactly the kind of information he needs about his defensive future.

Jordan vs Nigeria: What else to watch for

Beyond the defence, Chelle is likely to rotate his offensive options. Moses Simon and Akor Adams were both excellent against Iran, but the likes of Paul Onuachu, Chidera Ejuke, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who all came on as substitutes on Friday, will be pushing for starting spots.

There is also the question of Philip Otele and Yira Collins Sor, two other uncapped players in the squad who are yet to feature.

If Chelle is serious about expanding his pool, the Jordan match should provide the minutes to do so.

Victor Osimhen remains absent due to a fractured arm, while Stanley Nwabali is not in the squad, as he is currently without a club. Maduka Okoye, who started in goal against Iran for his first Super Eagles appearance in 294 days, is expected to continue between the posts.