Numa expects stiff Uruguay test

Nigerian fan © Gallo Images Former Nigeria junior international, Binebi Numa expects a tight game when Nigeria take on Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Nigeria have won three out of their four matches played so far with wide margins, but Numa believes the South Americans are in a different class from their previous opponents. He reckons they are among the best teams in the tournament and are capable of winning any side, therefore the Eaglets have to be alert and tactically disciplined to beat them. "I expect the Eaglets to face their toughest test in the competition so far when they face Uruguay," he told supersport.com. "When a South American team gets this far in any competition then it means they are very good. "They have shown they are creative and are likely to dominate the midfield with their short passing game. "Both teams are among the best in the competition and the deciding factor in these sort of matches would be the tactics. "My main fear is that our teams are hardly detailed. Though we play with a lot of flair, we hardly work on our opponents strong points. "If we can find a way to match them in midfield, then we have a good chance of beating them. "Our strikers have delivered in this competition, and if the service is adequate they can do it again." Numa said he was impressed with the improvements shown by the Eaglets defence after the match against Sweden. "The defenders were impressive against Iran, though they still need to be more organised against Uruguay," he said. "The goalkeeper (Dele Alampasu) was also directing things well. He made a couple of good saves too. "They may have conceded a cheeky goal towards the end, but they have improved a lot over the past two games. "This is good for them as they will need to keep things tight against Uruguay, while hoping their strikers keep up their good form at the other end." Nigeria and Uruguay both won their respective groups with seven points, with Uruguay’s only draw coming against Ivory Coast. The Eaglets walloped Iran 4-1 in the last 16, while Uruguay beat Slovakia 4-2.