- Hossein Abarghouei expressed confidence in Iran’s readiness ahead of their friendly match against Nigeria
- The Super Eagles camp in Turkey grew to 22 players, despite Calvin Bassey’s withdrawal due to injury
- Both teams prepared for the encounter, recalling their last meeting at the 2014 FIFA World Cup which ended goalless
Iran defender Hossein Abarghouei has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete strongly against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in an international friendly scheduled for Friday.
Speaking in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, Abarghouei highlighted the team’s level of preparation and the positive atmosphere within the camp. He noted that the upcoming fixtures, including matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, are crucial to Iran’s long-term ambitions, particularly as they build towards future international competitions.
“We are grateful that our training sessions are progressing well, and we have established an excellent camp,” Abarghouei said. “I hope we can bring joy to our supporters by achieving favourable results against Nigeria and Costa Rica, as this match represents a significant step towards our World Cup aspirations.”
The centre-back also addressed concerns over limited collective training time, explaining that players have maintained their fitness despite recent disruptions. He noted that during their brief stay in Turkey, the team has trained effectively and remained in good physical condition.
“All the players have been training individually. Our physical condition is satisfactory, and we are prepared to compete with Nigeria,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles began their training camp on Tuesday at the Bellis Deluxe Hotel, with an initial group of 13 players and technical staff. The number increased to 22 on Wednesday following the arrival of Wilfred Ndidi, boosting the squad ahead of the encounter.
However, the camp suffered a setback with the withdrawal of Calvin Bassey due to a back injury.
Nigeria will be aiming for a strong performance against the Asian side as both teams continue preparations for upcoming international tournaments. Their last meeting was at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where both sides played out a goalless draw in the group stage.