Super Eagles candidate for Jordan friendly makes Serie A Team of the Week

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been named in the Serie A Matchweek 29 Team of the Week,  despite Udinese’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Juventus at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday, rewarding his spectacular performance in the game.

Okoye was a wall in goal during the match, recording seven crucial saves to repeatedly frustrate a relentless Juventus attack, denying high-quality chances from Manuel Locatelli, Kenan Yildiz, Fabio Miretti, and Jeremie Boga, though Boga ultimately managed to score the match's lone decisive goal in the 38th minute. 

Reflecting on the bittersweet outing, Okoye said, "Today we had the opportunity to get at least a point, but Juventus is a very strong team. Now we have to focus on the next match. I'm happy with my performance, but in the end, what matters is that the team gets points." 

Goalkeeper

Maduka Okoye (Udinese)

Defenders

Carlos Augusto (Inter)

Bremer (Juventus)

Andrias Edmundsson (Hellas Verona)

Yann Aurel Bisseck (Inter)

Victor Nelsson (Hellas Verona)

Midfielders

Emirhan İlkhan (Torino)

Nicolò Barella (Inter)

Morten Frendrup (Genoa)

Attackers

Jérémie Boga (Juventus)

Kenan Yıldız (Juventus)

Crucially, performances like this position him perfectly to reclaim the starting goalkeeper role for the Nigerian national team ahead of their upcoming international friendly against Jordan. 

His path to the starting lineup is cleared by the current club status of Stanley Nwabali, who has been a free agent since mutually terminating his contract with South African club Chippa United in February.

With Nwabali lacking match fitness and likely to miss the upcoming camp due to his unattached status, Okoye's Serie A performances make him the undeniable frontrunner to step up for the Super Eagles.