Gabon Coach Confirms Plans to Stop Victor Osimhen in World Cup Playoff
- Gabon head coach Thierry Mouyouma has confirmed that he has plans to stop Victor Osimhen during the World Cup playoff
- Victor Osimhen has been in red-hot goalscoring form for his club, Galatasaray, and the Nigerian national team this year
- Mouyouma announced his 26-man squad to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the playoff on November 13 in Morocco
Gabon national team head coach Thierry Mouyouma has confirmed that he has plans to stop Victor Osimhen during the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Panthers of Gabon will face off in the African playoff for the intercontinental qualification path for the World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
The winner of their match will face the winner of the second semi-final between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo for a chance to participate in the intercontinental playoff.
It is less than a week to the matches in Rabat, Morocco, and the technical crew of each team have intensified their preparations for the decisive fixtures.
Gabon coach plans for Osimhen
Gabon head coach Thierry Mouyouma invited 26 players for the encounter, including the suspended Nick Onfia, with the expectation that he would be available for the second match if Gabon beats Nigeria.
Mouyouma confirmed that knowing how to defend against Victor Osimhen is part of his job in the playoff match against the Super Eagles.
“We have to defend as we wouldn't defend against just anyone. How do we actually defend against him? This type of player can be unpredictable, but he also loves playing in behind,” he said as quoted by ANS.
He admitted that it is almost impossible to mark the Galatasaray forward because if you solve the problem of cutting supplies off, he thrives in set pieces.
“That's where the complexity lies. That's where the work of a coach becomes interesting, because we are going to dissect, debate, and agree on a common defensive strategy,” he added.
The former Gabonese international confirmed that whatever approach Nigeria takes to the match will decide how they will solve the problem.
“This Nigerian team could stay further back. We need to be able to take the match into the opponents' half of the pitch. I think that’s the solution to the problem today,” he concluded.
Osimhen has been in great goal-scoring form lately, scoring six goals during the qualifiers, including the hat-trick against Benin that helped Nigeria reach the playoffs, and nine goals for Galatasaray this season, as noted by Transfermarkt.
Source: Getty Images
Gabon will not be the only team to worry about a terrifying striker; the Panthers have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Bouanga, who would trouble the Super Eagles' defence.
Aubameyang and Bouanga combined for 14 of Gabon’s 22 goals during the group stage of the qualifiers to help the Panthers reach the playoffs.
Mario Lemina sent message to Victor Osimhen
Legit.ng reported that Mario Lemina sent a cheeky message to his Galatasaray teammate Victor Osimhen after the striker scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League.
The Gabonese star applauded the Nigerian striker for helping Galatasaray win before both will become opponents in the World Cup playoff.
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Source: Legit.ng
