Cyriel Dessers has been named in Feyenoord’s starting XI for Wednesday’s Uefa Europa Conference League final against AS Roma.
The Eredivisie outfit are aiming to claim the European title, however, they must negotiate their way past Jose Mourinho’s side inside Arena Kombetare, Tirana.
To get the job done, manager Arne Slot will be counting on the Nigeria international – who leads the topscorer’s chart in the competition - for goals against the Serie A outfit.
In a 4-3-3 formation, Dessers will hold sway in the attack alongside English forward Reiss Nelson, and Colombia international Luis Sinisterra.
With 10 goals to his credit, the Genk loanee leads the race to win the Golden Boot prize. Should he find the net, he will become the third Nigerian to score in the final of a European cup after Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo.
Feyenoord won the Uefa Champions League trophy when it was still the European Cup in 1970 and picked up the Uefa Cup (Europa League) in 1974 and 2002.
The Rotterdam side would thus be the first club to have had all three of the most prestigious men's Uefa club competition trophies in their cabinet should they manage to overcome Mourinho's men.
"We know what to expect [from Roma], but you never know, sometimes their coach has a little twitch in his game plan,” Slot told Uefa website.
“But we’ve seen a lot, so we hope we’re prepared in the right way, and if he does surprise us […] we’ve played 55 games [this season] so I’d be a bit surprised if he could think of something that we haven’t had yet."
On the other side, manager Mourinho has named England international of Nigerian descent Tammy Abraham in his line-up, while Ghanaian star Felix Afena-Gyan has been named as a substitute.
"I don’t believe in magical potions, I don’t believe in magical spells,” Mourinho said.
“There’s nothing special to be done, just us to be us as a team. Knowing the qualities we have, knowing the limitations we have.
“For me, no matter how the final ends, this is a positive season for us."