Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is a major doubt for Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as head coach Eric Chelle makes late changes to his final squad list.
According to OwnGoalNigeria, the squad was due to be released today but has now been delayed until later this week as Chelle awaits final fitness updates on key players.
Osimhen is top of the list of concerns, alongside midfielders Frank Onyeka and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and winger Femi Azeez, whose situations have forced the coach to rejig his plans.
Nigeria begin their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign at home against Madagascar on September 25 before travelling to Morocco to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.
The delay in announcing the list is understood to be directly linked to Chelle’s need for clarity on the injured quartet, with Osimhen’s availability now uncertain.
Chelle is also finalizing a separate squad for Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia in Moscow, with some players for that game only contacted this week.
The Franco-Malian, who also oversees the U-23s, is expected to use the Russia encounter to assess fringe players in his plans while he fine-tunes his main squad for the AFCON qualifiers.
