Ashkan Dejagah , who played against Trinidad & Tobago yesterday and won a penalty , has suffered an injury after a collision with Williams, the Trinidad Goalkeeper.
Dejagah was substituted for the second half as the coaching staff elected to exercise caution pending further medical examination. On closer check by Team Melli medical staff and Corinthians doctors, it is deemed that the injury is light and Ashkan can return back to duty and training. Team Melli defeated Trinidad 2-0 with goals scored by Ehsan Hajsafy and Reza Ghoocannejad. If Nekounam did not miss the penalty , a 3-0 result would have been the same result Argentina achieved against the same opposition a few days earlier.
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Which Nigeria will turn up?
It is difficult to define exactly which Nigeria side will turn up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The reigning African champions have the potential to cause plenty of problems for their opponents but can just as easily be brushed aside as we saw four years ago in South Africa.
Nigeria recorded one solitary point in 2010, losing to Argentina and Greece, while drawing with South Korea in their final group stage match.
This time around, they come into the tournament on the back of their 2013 African Cup of Nations success which is sure to provide some sort of confidence.
Recent friendly results have thrown up a trio of draws with Mexico, Scotland and Greece, making it a tough task to analyse just how Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles will perform.
There is plenty to like about the squad on paper but that does not necessarily mean they will be able to recreate the outcome of the 1994 and 1998 teams who both finished top of their group before losing out in the Round of 16.
Nigeria
Manager: Stephen Keshi
Fixtures: Iran – June 16 (Curitiba), Bosnia & Herzegovina – June 21 (Cuiaba), Argentina – June 25 (Porto Alegre)
Past outings against group opponents: Nigeria have played Iran once in the past, for a 1-0 friendly win in Hong Kong in 1998.
Nigeria and Bosnia have never met at international senior level.
Nigeria and Argentina have played each other six times previously. The Super Eagles have won just once, while drawing once and losing on four occasions. The Africans have lost three times to Argentina in the group stage of World Cups for three losses in 1994, 2002 and 2010.
Key players: John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce), Vincent Enyeama (Lille), Victor Moses (Chelsea)
World Cup utopia: Making it any further past the Round of 16.
Doomsday scenario: Finishing bottom of Group F.
Qualified by virtue of: CAF play-off win over Ethiopia (4-1 on aggregate)
Best result at a World Cup: Round of 16 (1994, 1998)
tribal’s forecast:
Keshi has instilled in his side a belief that they can beat anybody they come up against.
Whether the Nigerian players actually believe that is another story but at least the boss has plenty of faith in his men.
Recent allegations of match-fixing, following goalkeeper Austin Ejide’s disallowed own-goal in the 2-2 friendly draw with Scotland, are sure to bind the players together but can they take the extra step?
The usually defensive-minded Mikel relishes his creative role in the national team and will be supported by the likes of Liverpool loanee Moses and Lazio’s Ogenyi Onazi.
The midfield will be where most of Nigeria’s influence comes from as they look to feed Emenike who had a decent season in Turkey, scoring 12 goals for Fenerbahce.
Other than Emenike though, it is hard to see exactly where the goals will come from. Peter Odemwingie hasn’t scored an international goal since August 2010, Ahmed Musa doesn’t have the best of strike rates,Shola Ameobi is noted more for his hard work rather than finesse whileUche Nwofor and Michael Uchebo are largely untested at this level.
Group F is something that Nigeria could successfully navigate when at their best but if they fail to make the most of the opening fixture against Iran, their chances of progressing to the knockout phase will decrease massively.
Sure, the talent is there but do the Nigerians have the mettle to mix it with the likes of Argentina and Bosnia?
Prediction: Group stage elimination.
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The Bosnia & Herzegovina team of 2014 are flying the flag for the tiny Balkan nation.
This is the first World Cup the Bosnians will compete in as a single entity after being a part of the Yugoslavia sides of the distant past.
Safet Susic’s outfit were more than solid throughout their qualifying campaign, finishing on top of their group, with a healthy goal difference of plus 24 having scored 30 goals in their 10 matches.
It will be a celebration of sorts for the Bosnian people who have so long hoped to see a team of their own represent them on the world stage, and in Brazil, they get the opportunity to look on with pride.
The Zmajevi (Dragons) have a great chance to announce themselves to the world by qualifying for the knockout stages which would be a stunning achievement given the inexperience of the team at such a high-status event.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Manager: Safet Susic
Fixtures: Argentina – June 15 (Rio de Janeiro), Nigeria – June 21 (Cuiaba), Iran – June 25 (Salvador)
Past outings against group opponents: Bosnia have played the Argentines twice for two losses. The latest meeting was a 2-0 friendly defeat in November 2013.
Bosnia and Nigeria have met at international senior level.
The Bosnians have taken on Iran on five occasions for four losses and a draw. The most recent encounter resulted in a 3-2 friendly loss in Sarajevo in 2009.
Key players: Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Asmir Begovic (Stoke City),Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart), Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen)
World Cup utopia: Reaching the knockout phase would be a definite success while anything more would be seen as a massive achievement.
Doomsday scenario: Finishing bottom of the group below Iran.
Qualified by virtue of: Finishing top of UEFA Group G qualifying.
Best result at a World Cup: Debut World Cup
tribal’s forecast:
There are some seriously classy players within the Bosnian World Cup squad.
City star Dzeko will lead the line in attack and will be assisted by Ibisevic who knocked in 15 goals for Stuttgart last season. Those two will be heavily relied upon to hit the back of the net as was evidenced by the qualifying campaign when combining for 18 of the 30 goals.
Pulling the strings in midfield will be veteran Zvjezdan Misimovic, who plays his club football in China, while there will be support from the likes of Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic, Lazio’s Senad Lulic and Hoffenheim’s Sejad Salihovic.
The defence, which conceded just six goals in qualifying, is led by influential skipper Spahic who guides a well-organised and cohesive ‘team within a team’ which sits in front of talented goalkeeper Begovic.
National legend Susic has before him a well-drilled, discplined line-up who are underrated on the world stage and will take a power of beating in the group stages.
Bosnia are certainly capable of getting the better of both Nigeria and Iran, and making life difficult for Argentina, before looking on to a possible Round of 16 clash with France.
Prediction: Round of 16.