Nigeria U17 Team To Confront Burundi In High Altitude

Incumbent African U20 champions Nigeria will confront Burundi on Saturday afternoon in Bujumbura, which is over 2,500 feet above sea level.


Despite its high altitude, which places additional demands on physical exercises like playing football, Bujumbura has an average weather temperature of about 29 degrees, which is warm.

Home team Burundi walked over DR Congo in the first round of the qualifiers, while the Flying Eagles drew bye.

New Flying Eagles coach Emmanuel Amuneke is in Burundi with the bulk of the team he guided to win the FIFA U17 World Cup last year in Chile and not one player who is playing in the country’s top-flight domestic league.

Striker Victor Osimhen, who will sign a professional contract with German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in January 2017 when he would have clocked 18 years, is the star of this team.

He proved his class in the team’s heart-warming 2-1 test match win over the Nigeria Olympic team, scoring the winning goal and providing an assist for the opening goal.

He has recovered from a shoulder injury he suffered in that game and along with skipper Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Chukwueze will be expected to inspire the U20s to victory again.

The Flying Eagles are very fit, play as a team and will not be intimidated by whatever the host team throw at them.

Kick-off time on Saturday is 1pm Nigerian time.