Portuguese officials appointed for Super Eagles vs. Saudi Arabia friendly

Nigeria will look for their first-ever victory over the Green Falcons when both teams meet in Portugal next week

FIFA has designated Portuguese referee Luis Godinho to officiate the forthcoming international friendly between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles will trade tackles with the Asian Falcons in a match scheduled to take place at the Estadio Municipal de Portimão on October 13, with kickoff set at 5 p.m.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by Ademola Olajire, the Director of Communications for the Nigeria Football Federation, on Thursday in Abuja.

Godinho will be supported by an able team of officials, which includes Bruno Jesus as assistant referee one, Tiago Costa as assistant referee two, and Miguel Noguera as the fourth official. In the Video Assistant Referee room, Helder Carvalho will take charge, assisted by Bruno Vieira.

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has already named a 25-man squad for this international friendly.

Notable inclusions are Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface, and OGC Nice star Terem Moffi.

In a potential debut for the Super Eagles, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Jordan Torunarigha may make their mark in this match.

However, captain Ahmed Musa and vice-captain William Troost-Ekong were not invited for this fixture. Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Nantes winger Moses Simon are expected to step in for the duo.

The friendly faceoff between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria will mark the second-ever meeting between the two nations.

Their first clash ended in a goalless draw in a pre-2010 FIFA World Cup friendly game at the Alpenstadion in Wattens, Austria, on May 25, 2010.

Three days after the Saudi Arabia tie, the Super Eagles will engage with the Mambas of Mozambique in another friendly at the same venue.