Friendly matchesTodayNigeria vs RwandaSundayNigeria vs RwandaRWANDA’S U-17 team plays their Nigerian counterparts, the Golden Eaglets, this afternoon at U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar in the first of two scheduled international friendly matches between the two teams.The junior wasps, who arrived in Calabar yesterday after an overnight stay in Lagos, will play Nigeria today and again on Sunday as part of the preparations for the CAN U-17 second round qualifying matches due in October.Similar to Rwanda and their coach Richard Tardy, the Nigeria football federation believes the two matches will help Coach Manu Garba-led U-17 team gauge the condition of his players and to also look at the loopholes ahead of their September 8 qualifier in Niamey, Niger Republic.Nigeria’s youth side have been champions of Africa twice in 2001 and 2007 since the competition began as a Nations Cup format in 1995 in Mali. The Eaglets have also been world champions thrice, in 1985, 1993 and 2007 in China, Japan and Korea Republic, respectively. Rwanda will only be gauging themselves ahead of the October’s 2013 African Under-17 Championship qualifier against the winner between Malawi and Botswana.The match between Rwanda and Malawi/Botswana will be held on the weekend of October 12-14.Last year, Rwanda reached the final of the U-17 African Championship only to lose to Burkina Faso 2-1 but earned maiden qualification to compete at the Fifa U-17 World Cup held in Mexico.
