\n<\/p>\n
While previous Wafcons have seen Nigeria’s preparation time limited, Madugu and his staff have had the luxury of multiple friendlies to run the rule over the current squad.<\/p>\n
A double-header against Cameroon in the early months of the year was followed by two warm-up matches against Senegal in June and a victory over Tanzania last week.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one-year-old goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor, the backup to Nnadozie, is among the fresh faces brought in by Madugu.<\/p>\n
Born in the Netherlands and raised in England, she made her debut against Cameroon.<\/p>\n
“The trust he [Madugu] puts in us young players is something I respect a lot,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t expect to get along so quickly and so well with the team. But they received me with open arms.”<\/p>\n
Erhabor currently plays in the third tier of English football for Portsmouth, a city just over an hour’s drive along the south coast to Brighton, which is where Nnadozie plies her trade.<\/p>\n
Describing Nigeria’s number one as like “a big sister” who she hangs out with, she says it was a “no brainer” when it came to choosing her international allegiance.<\/p>\n
“It’s in my blood, so I felt like there is no greater honour than to represent my roots, make my parents proud as well.<\/p>\n
“I love the culture, and one big thing for me was how open everyone here is with Christianity and religion, because I felt that would allow me to come into the team, faith-based, and express myself.”<\/p>\n
As Madugu searches for a heavenly blend of youth and experience, Omewa describes the stellar names she now trains alongside as “golden”, as opposed to older.<\/p>\n
“Without them we wouldn’t be here today.<\/p>\n
“With them coming into the team, teaching us how to do it, we learn from those people.”<\/p>\n
Fellow striker Oshoala, who is chasing her fifth Wafcon title, is one of those Omewa is thankful to.<\/p>\n
“She’s a really remarkable person. She’s a person who you can talk to, share experiences with and she tells you things she has gone through.<\/p>\n
“I think she’s a really good mentor.”<\/p>\n
Nigeria do not have all of their stars available, with centre-back Ashleigh Plumptre, a central figure in last year’s Wafcon campaign, out with a foot injury.<\/p>\n
The squad has also been unsettled after falling victim to thefts after landing in Morocco, with forward Esther Okoronkwo, player of the match in last year’s final, reportedly losing hundreds of dollars.<\/p>\n
When it comes to prize money, the pot for this year’s tournament has been doubled, with the winners picking up $2m (\u00a31.5m) – an increase indicative of the continued growth in African women’s football.<\/p>\n
But despite the increasing level of competition, Nigeria remain the team to beat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n