Nigeria's Super Eagles to play friendly game against Poland's national team on March 23

NIGERIA'S Super Eagles are to play a friendly match against Poland on March 23 next year as part of the team's ongoing preparations for the 2018 World Cup due to take place in Russia next summer.

Taking place between June 14 and July 15, next year, the World Cup will see Nigeria playing in group D alongside Argentina, Croatia and Iceland, while Poland are in Group H along with Senegal, Colombia and Japan. Like all the other 30 teams taking part in the tournament, Nigeria and Poland will be using the March Fifa window to fine-tune their plans.

Fifa has declared March 23 to 27 as international windows when national teams will be allowed to play friendly games. It is believed that the March 23 game was at the suggestion of the Poles who wanted to use the game as a tester to give them a feel for African football to equip them for the game against Senegal.

Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr, told Football365.fr, that all arrangements have been concluded by both federations for the friendly encounter. Zbigniew Boniek, the head of the Polish Football Association, added that the friendly between Nigeria and Poland has been confirmed and will hold either in Wroclaw or Silesian Stadium in Chorzów.

Nigeria is also shopping around for another friendly after the Poland match and is believed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is talking to the Serbian football federation about playing their national team on March 27. Mr Rohr had said he fancies playing Serbia because it comes from the same footballing stable as Croatia and a friendly would be ideal preparations for the match against the Croats.

“We will shop for another team in Europe for another Fifa date, before the World Cup kicks off,” Mr Rohr said.

Already, the NFF have agreed to play a friendly against England in June just before the World Cup but Mr Rohr said he wants to play about six friendly between now and the start of the tournament to get his team well prepared. England are in the same group as Tunisia, so are eager to play Nigeria too as part of their preparations against African opposition.