Nigeria's Super Eagles will be back in action next month, with the team facing off against two top countries in the continent in Algeria and Tunisia for October's international friendlies,

Gernot Rohr's side were earlier slated to face Ivory Coast, but with the Lions plumping for a bout with Belgium in Brussels, the clash with the Desert Foxes provides yet a good opportunity to evaluate the called up personnel.

A quick look at the squad shows a number of players are quickly finding their feet with their clubs in the new season, the likes of Chidera Ejuke, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Oghenekaro Etebo having impressed in recent games.

With nothing at stake for the Jacques Lemans Arena cracker, the Franco-German will look to pick a thing or two from his charges having picked at least seven uncapped players who most probably could get run-outs in either of the games.

Maduka Okoye is most likely to get the nod to start in between the pipes for the team, having already made his debut and is ahead of the listed goaltenders in the pecking order.

The 21-year-old has so far, found it hard displacing Benjamin Van Leer for Sparta Rotterdam but could be favoured as the starting choice here.

William Troost-Ekong on the cusp of switching clubs this summer will lead out his mates probably, and alongside Semi Ajayi could be the central defenders against the defending AFCON champions. Jamilu Collins and Chidozie Awaziem could run the flanks, while there also could be a potential debut for Porto's Zaidu Sanusi.

With Wilfred Ndidi having since pulled out of the squad due to injury, combative FC Midtjylland ace Frank Onyeka could have a huge part to play but Oghenekaro Etebo is another trusted head who could readily tuck in in the absence of the Leicester City man.

However, it will be interesting to see what Rohr does with Red Bull Salzburg loanee Samson Tijani who has shown himself capable of playing roles across the midfield.

Seasoned campaigner Ahmed Musa is readily the most probable name upfront, but fans will be yearning to see what a triumvirate of Ejuke, Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen would look like together going up against opponents, with Iwobi tucking in just off the Napoli man in attack.

Cyriel Dessers will surely relish a debut against the champions but have he earned that with his recent performances? It will be fascinating what Rohr finally adopts in his side's first game of a novelty year.

*NBBF, Total E&P to sign 5-year sponsorship deal Sept. 15:*

The Nigeria Basketball Federation will officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Total E&P Nigeria Limited on September 15, 2020 for the sponsorship of Division 1 and 2 men basketball leagues.

Announcing this to the members of the board on Tuesday, the federation's Secretary General, Afolabi-Oluwayemi Olabisi said the landmark event will hold at the company's headquarters in Lagos at 10:00am.

Elaborating on the development, the NBBF President, Engr Musa Kida said, "We are excited about this long term partnership targeted at the grassroots which is one of the core focus of this federation.

"This is another fulfilment of some of the promises we made about creating platforms for raw talents to be nurtured while making basketball attractive to the corporate community to want to partner with us."

After critical evaluation of the initial two-year deal between the NBBF and Total, both parties felt it was expedient to continue with the harmonious relationship.

"With the initial two -year support of Total E&P Nigeria Limited, we were able to introduce the Division 2 league system and also expand  the Division 1 with more teams participating and playing more games. It is on record that more than 150 local basketball teams participate in these two divisions all over the country, with 2 teams per state qualifying for the zonal meets."

"With another five-year agreement on the table, we should be able to build on what we have achieved and establish a system where more talents can participate in organized basketball."

The brief but epoch event is sanctioned by the Hon. Minister of Youth and Sports Development and will be held in line with National Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) Covid-19 directives.