THE Flying Eagles will take on the Darling Scorpions of Gambia in a must-win game today at Milpark 11 pm Nigerian time at the ongoing African Youth Championship in South Africa. The Nigerian team put itself in a tight situation after losing to Cameroun 1-0 in the second Group B game.A draw could also see the Nigerians through but that would depend largely on the outcome of the other game between group leaders, Cameroun and Ghana. A Nigerian win over Gambia will knock out defending champions, Ghana that has just one point going into its final group match against the Junior Lions.The Flying Eagles situation is made precarious after four players did not train a day after the defeat to Cameroun, leaving the Nigerian team with 14 fit players. However, Coach John Obuh is hopeful that all the players would pass a late fitness test and be part of the crunch encounter. But the participation of Terna Suswan is in doubt, as the shoulder injury he copped against Cameroun, which has prevented him from training with his team, may not heal before todays game.Despite all these hiccups, Obuh says this would not prevent his team from progressing to the semifinal of the AYC and the World Youth Championship that would take place later in the year in Colombia.It is true that we have about four players nursing different injuries, Obuh said after Fridays training. But that will not deter us from coming out for victory against the Gambians.Definitely, it is going to be a tough game but we are ready to win for Nigerians who have been very supportive since we got here. Hopefully, the players can raise their game and play better than they did in the 2-1 win over Ghana.He dismissed the threat by the Gambian coach, Lami Sarr, who is hoping to get one over the Flying Eagles after his team played themselves back into contention with the 1-1 draw against Ghana.Obuh said: The man has said what he will do but I must admit the game is like a smaller person fighting a bigger person. The smaller persons victory will make bigger headlines but not so if the bigger person wins. Beating Gambia will not be news to us but we are confined to winning because we are looking for qualification.I am not going to say what we are capable of doing but our players are feeling better than they felt against Cameroun and if they translate that feeling to action on the pitch, we will surely come out victorious, he added.In yesterdays training session, Obuh emphasised wing play as the route to his attacking formation, with players drilled on how to deliver clever crosses to the box.He also worked on the central defence pairing of Gbenga Arokoyo and Ganiu Ogungbe, which looked suspect in the game against Cameroun, while Mohammed Aliyu Goyi, who played at the leftback position in the first two games might not feature in todays encounter.Coach Obuh, who says he is not worried by the number of injured defenders in his team, told The Guardian yesterday it is true some of the defenders did not train on Friday due to injury but they may still be fit before the game against Gambia. But if they do not get to that fitness level we desire, we will use the ones that are available. We might even use strikers in the defence if need be. If that happens, I will not be the first coach to do that, but I know we can win the game. What the players need to do is put their minds in the game and take care of business on the field.The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has also increased the winning bonus from $750 to $2000 to motivate the players, but the absence of Ahmed Musa still leaves a question mark on the ability of his team mates to deliver in his absence as noticed in the game against Cameroun.Also speaking on todays game, Sarr predicts a tough match, saying that his team would come out smoking against the Flying Eagles.After his teams 1-1 draw with Ghana, the coach said the game against Nigeria would be like the final match of the competition.Sarr stated that the suspension of his captain, Gassama Saikou, who got a red card against Ghana, would not affect the Scorpions, adding that he would approach todays game the way he played against Ghana with the hope of getting the result that would move his team to the next round.It is going to be very tough against Nigeria but our approach will remain the strong and my players will surely come out to win the game. The game is going to like the final and I am sure both teams would play good football.In the other group B game at Dobsonville, Ghana will take on Junior Lions of Cameroun, who are already through to the next round. The Camerounians say they will play for at least a draw to ensure they stay top in the group.The Ghanaians, who are the defending champions, are in a tight position because they are not even guaranteed progress if they win as their passage to the next round would depend on the outcome of the Gambia, Nigeria tie.The Satellites of Ghanas undoing is their inability to convert their chances into goals. They had the chance to bury the Flying Eagles and the Scorpions but unpardonable misses in front of goal has put them in this tight situation.In spite of the odds, Ghanas tactician, Orlando Wellington, says his team would battle to the end. While expressing disappointment over his teams performance so far in the competition, Wellington noted that with a little bit of good fortune, his team should have qualified for the World Youth Championship after the first two matches.We still have the chance to qualify but I am very disappointed that things have turned out this way. We came here to defend the trophy we won two years ago but things have not turned out the way we expected.We had our chances against Nigeria and Gambia but unfortunately we have not been lucky with goal scoring. How can one explain the fact that my players hit the cross bar three times a few minutes to the end of the game against Gambia, he lamented.Wellington commended his players for their performance, saying they battled hard for the equalizer against Gambia. He acknowledged that the must-win game against Cameroun was a big task, adding that he would take the eventual result in good fate.
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