Mba And Oboabona Will Be Missed During CHAN

Former Super Eagles midfielder Moses Kpakor has revealed that Big boss Stephen Keshi is sorely missing the Cup Of Nations winning duo of Sunday Mba and Godfrey Oboabona.

The CHAN tournament taking place in South Africa kicks off on January 11 with Nigeria facing Mali in a Group A tie in Cape Town.

Mozambique and South Africa are other Eagles’ opponents in the group of the championship popularly called CHAN.

Nigeria qualified for the competition for the first time last year, with Oboabona and Mba instrumental in winning the ticket.

Oboabona dumped Akure club Sunshine Stars for Turkish side Caykur Rizespor after the CHAN qualifiers last year while Mba is reportedly set to put pen to paper for a one-year deal at French second division outfit Bastia.

And Kpakor believes Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi will missed their services, insisting their presence in the squad would have instilled a lot of confidence in the rookies selected for the competition.

“Of course we will miss Mba and Oboabona,” the Algiers ’90 Africa Cup of Nations silver medallist told our correspondent on the telephone during the week.

“They were our pillars (during the qualifiers) and it will be a great relief for our opponents in competition.

“But we have good replacements for them and I think the coach will work out a strategy to suit the team in South Africa.”

The former BCC Lions star is tipping the Eagles for the trophy, saying Keshi will aim to boost his coaching credentials by winning the tournament.

Kpakor added, “We have players in the (CHAN) squad that made the Africa Cup of Nations squad and played in the World Cup qualifiers. We have got top level exposure and experience, which is very important for any tournament.”

He urged the players to give the country their best at the tournament exclusively for players plying their trade in their countries, saying winning the trophy would boost their careers.

Goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rnagers), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers) and Benjamin Francis (Heartland) are the only players in Keshi’s 23-man CHAN squad who have been capped by Nigeria at full international level.
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