Niger friendly is dress rehearsal for Liberian game

Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi has said the similar style of play of Niger Republic and Liberia affected his decision to engage the Mena in a friendly scheduled for tomorrow.

“The Nigerien team is a very good side because they have been together for the past seven or more years. Almost 100 percent of the team is home-based with the exception of maybe two or three foreign- based players.

“I had the opportunity to play against them when I coached Togo and Mali. They are very good side and that was why I decided to play them. They play similar football like Liberia. They like to keep the ball on the ground with short passes, which is good.

“The main goal we want to achieve with the friendly is to prepare our players against Liberia. They need more friendly games to improve their cohesion and function much better as a team,” he noted.