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Super Eagles
skipper Joseph Yobo has finally joined the national team for this
weekend’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar.

The defender, who
was given permission to finalise his season-long loan move from English
Premier League side Everton to Turkish Super League giants Fenerbahce
joined the squad yesterday morning.

Yobo’s arrival
brought to 25 the number of players in camp ahead of the Group B
encounter scheduled for Sunday at the UJ Esuene Stadium, in Calabar.

Early arrivals to
camp include goalkeepers Vincent Enyeama of top Israeli club Hapoel Tel
Aviv, Akpan Bassey of Nigerian Premier League outfit Bayelsa United,
Chidi Odiah of Russia’s CSKA Moscow, Michael Eneramo of Tunisian club
side Esperance, and Osaze Odemwingie who recently left Russia’s
Lokomotiv Moscow for West Bromwich Albion of the English premier League
while Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel and Danny Shittu, who has agreed to a
mutual termination of his contract with Bolton Wanderers, arrived Abuja
on Wednesday.

Injured Eagles

Fulham’s Dickson
Etuhu was also in camp but had to return to his base in England on
Wednesday. The combative midfielder had reported to the national team’s
base in Abuja, but had to be excused from Sunday’s match against the
Indian Ocean island nation as a result of an ankle injury he had picked
up in his club’s hard earned 2-2 draw against Blackpool last Saturday;
a game that saw Etuhu grabbing a late equaliser for the Cottagers.

Club Brugge of
Belgium striker Joseph Akpala had earlier been forced to pull out of
Sunday’s encounter after suffering a niggling knee injury in his club’s
Europa League tie against Russian side Dinamo Minsk.

Off to Calabar

With the arrival of
all the invited players to camp, the team led by caretaker coach
Augustine Eguavoen and his assistant, former Super Eagles defender
Benedict Iroha, flew out of Abuja later in the day for Calabar where in
the evening they had their first feel of the artificial turf for
Sunday’s match.

“We just wanted the players to get a feel of the pitch and try to condition themselves to it,” Iroha told NEXTSports.

“We are going to
train a few more times on it before the match and everyone is doing
their best to ensure we put a big smile on the faces of Nigerians after
the match”

The game against the Madagascans is the first of six matches to be
played by the Super Eagles in Group B where they also have for company
Ethiopia and Guinea who will also meet in Addis Ababa this weekend. The
tournament comes up in January 2012 and will be co-hosted by Equatorial
Guinea and Gabon.