Japan striker Takuma Asano. (Photo : Getty Images)
Africa's under-23 Cup of Nations champions Nigeria are set to clash with AFC's under-23 Championship titlists Japan in the second match of the opening round of Group B competitions in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. The game is scheduled this Thursday, August 4 at the Arena da Amazônia in Manaus immediately after the Sweden-Colombia encounter.
The Dream Team are going to be bannered by Chelsea's veteran midfielder John Obi Mikel, who at age 29 is one of the head coach Samson Siasia's three overage players. Mikel is joined by 30-year-old starting goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, who was the senior team's backup goal tender, and midfielder Usman Muhammed as the squad's experienced players.
However, the national team is bannered by 19-year-old winger Azubuike Okechukwu, who has already earned 19 international caps and is currently suited up for Turkish second-tier club Yeni Malatyaspor. Recent rumors have emerged that the best player in last year's under-23 Cup of Nations tourney is being targeted by Ligue 1 club AS Monaco this summer, via ESPN.
The team is strong in almost all positions, except in goalkeeping, which is why Akpeyi was called up for this summer's competitions. They would have a hard time advancing in the quarterfinals, though, as they are included in a very tough group.
Japan captured the AFC U-23 title last January by pulling off a come-from-behind victory over arch-rival South Korea, 3-2, in the final of the said tournament, as per Cri English.
Along with the title is the Olympic berth, with the Koreans and Iraq also joining them as the representatives of AFC in this year's Olympics.
The Japanese U-23 squad had always been short of medals in the international arena and this summer is another opportunity to grab such elusive recognition. As mentioned before, Group B is a tough group, but the Samurai Blue has the skills and roster to go past the group stage.
Head coach Makoto Teguramori will have 21-year-old Arsenal striker Takuma Asano as the central figure of his offense. His frontline partner, Urawa Red Diamonds' Shinzo Koroki, is one of three overage players together with defenders Hiroki Fujiharu and Tsukasa Shiotani.
The predicted result is a 3-2 decision for Japan.
Nigeria starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Akpeyi; Madu, Shehu, Troost-Ekong, Amuzie; Etebo, Mikel, Okechukwu, Muhammed; Ajayi, Ezekiel
Japan starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Kushibiki; Muroya, Endo, Fujiharu, Shiotani; Nakajima, Kubo, Nakamura, Ideguchi; Koroki, Asano
