Sierra Leone head coach, John Keister recently announced a provisional squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The encounter which will be played at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, neighboring Liberia is slated for June 18.

The gaffer is expected to develop a tactical defensive plan to stop three prolific Super Eagles strikers that are currently doing well in Europe. The three lethal strikers are Victor Osimehn, Samuel Chukwueze, and Nottingham Forest’s red-hot striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Leone Stars are currently third on the Group A table with five points from four games.

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Victor Osimhen won the Serie A Golden Boot for scoring the highest number of goals in the 2022/23 campaign. The feat makes him the first African to scoop the prize. The Nigerian’s goals were instrumental as the club clinched their first league title in 33 years and their third overall. Osimehn won the coveted Serie A Golden Boot award after a stunning campaign with Napoli The 24-year-old found the back of the net 26 times in 32 league appearances to scoop the award. Osimhen’s incredible goal-scoring form was a key part of Napoli’s success in the Italian top flight.

After missing out in recent Super Eagles call-ups, Nottingham Forest red-hot striker Taiwo Awoniyi is proud and happy following his invitation for the AFCON Qualifier Vs Sierra Leone. Rewarded for his sensational form at Nottingham Forest where he scored six goals in the last four games to guide the club to top-flight safety, Awoniyi is among 23-Eagles who will prosecute Nigeria’s next international engagement.

His 15 goals won the team 15 points from the 38 they gathered through the season. Most importantly was his goal against Arsenal which guaranteed a Premier League Spot for Nottingham Forest for another season.

Villarreal winger, Samuel Chukwueze recently named best African player in the 2022/2023 Spanish La Liga season. This comes after a remarkable season with the Yellow Submarine with the Nigerian ending the season with 13 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.

It was the 24-year-old’s most productive season since his arrival at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Chukwueze beat out competition from two other top African players: Ghana’s Inaki Williams, who won the LaLiga Santander Mid-Season African MVP Award after scoring 10 goals in 36 LaLiga matches for Athletic Club, and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, who helped Sevilla FC win the UEFA Europa League.

Sierra Leone needs to win the game to keep their dreams of making it to Cote d’Ivoire 2023 alive. Sierra Leone will be eager to break a long-standing winless streak against Nigeria, having not defeated the three-time Afcon winner since their narrow 1-0 triumph in a World Cup qualifier back in 2001.

Since then, the Super Eagles have dominated this fixture, won four out of the six encounters and drew the remaining two.