The 1996 Olympic gold medalist believes the friendly against the Selecao will afford the Super Eagles coach a chance to discover new talents
Former Nigeria international Dosu Joseph has highlighted the importance of Nigeria’s international friendly against Brazil.
The three-time African champions will slug it out against the South Americans at the National Stadium in Singapore on Sunday.
The Super Eagles’ only encounter against the five-time world champions ended in a 3-0 defeat in Abuja in 2003.
The former goalkeeper, who won the 1996 Olympic gold medal with Nigeria, believes the game will help coach Gernot Rohr to assess his players.
“We have the players that can match them, we see the Super Eagles players doing very well in various leagues,” Joseph told Goal.
“But it is only a friendly game where Brazil want to win and Nigeria want to win as well. So we should not put pressure on our boys.
“It is not about revenge whether we win or lose it does not affect us because it is not a competition.
“It is not about winning or losing, the purpose of the game will be for the coach to get players to add to the mainstream of the Super Eagles.
“If we win or draw, fine and if we lose, we should check how we lost. Did we play well and yet lose? It is not all about winning but how the team perform.”
A number of the invited Super Eagles players have withdrawn from the game for various reasons, leaving only 21 players left at the disposal of Rohr.
However, Joseph opines that it will be an opening for the available players to showcase their talent and prove they are equally good to represent the country.
“It is an opportunity for the rest of the players to show their talents that they can also represent the country,” he continued.
“If Kenneth Omeruo is not there, other players should be able to do the job. So let’s see what the rest of the players can do without the regular players.
“Everybody wants to put on the Nigerian jersey, so it is an opportunity for them to play for their country.”
The game will serve as preparation for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against the Benin Republic and Lesotho in November.
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