Nigerian All-Star squad all set for LaLiga World bow

Tuesday 9 August saw the lineup of stars from the NPFL (Nigeria Professional Football League) undergo an intense day of preparations ahead of today's LaLiga World clash against Valencia CF at Alzira's Estadio Luis Suñer Pico. The All-Star squad began the day with a training session at Valencia's Paterna training ground, where far from being overawed, the Nigerian players showed themselves to be intent on giving their LaLiga Santander opponents a real game. Amobi Ezeaku, team manager of the NPFL All-Stars spoke of his excitement ahead of the encounter, "It's going to be a wonderful game, Valencia is a big club and we respect them, but this is football." Following on from the first training session of the day, the coaches of both sides gave a press conference in which they shared their impressions on the eve of the LaLiga World clash.

The head coach of the All-Star team, Salisu Yusuf revealed that "LaLiga has many followers in Nigeria" who admire "how the teams play, the systems they operate and their organisation." Whilst Valencia coach, Pako Ayestaran spoke of how the footballing philosophy in Nigeria has traditionally been focused on an attacking approach, "I imagine that the way the game has developed in Nigeria over recent years will have will have seen this style maintained." In the afternoon, the Nigerian expedition sought to discover more about their opponents, as they embarked on a guided tour of Valencia's Mestalla stadium. Peter Draper, head of the club's commercial and marketing department, was on hand to lead the group.

The Nigerian stars took the opportunity to immortalise the moment by posing for photos inside the stadium. Jamiu Alimi, who plies his trade forKano Pillars FC, was amongst one of the players to express their delight at being called up to the specially-selected squad, stating that "it's a privilege to be taking part in this game." Alimi's sentiments were echoed by Enyimba FC striker Ezekiel Bassey, who enthused, "Playing here at Valencia is really special. We are looking forward to having a great game." The Nigerian outfit rounded off an action-packed day off by staging a second training session, held on this occasion at the Estadio Luis Suñer Pico, the venue for Wednesday's fixture against Los Ches. The session enabled Yusuf's charges to get a feel for the surroundings, as they finalised their preparations for a game which can be streamed via LaLiga's official YouTube channel at no cost to the viewer.