Eric Chelle has made a late change to his Olympic Eagles squad, calling up Nasarawa United forward Prince Bawa Oche to replace the injured Sulaiman Sani, as the home-based contingent flies out to DR Congo today ahead of the Olympic Eagles DR Congo qualifier on Friday.
The Olympic Eagles DR Congo trip is the first leg of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations second-round tie, and the switch comes just three days before kick-off in Lubumbashi. Sani, who plays for Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah, will miss both legs of the tie after his club formally notified the Nigeria Football Federation that an injury would prevent him from honouring his invitation.
Olympic Eagles DR Congo: Oche in, Sani out
Oche is no stranger to this group. The Nasarawa United forward was with the Olympic Eagles during their three weeks of camping in Ikenne, according to OwnGoal Nigeria, and his call-up takes the number of home-based players in the squad to eight, with 15 foreign-based professionals making up the rest of the 23-man party.
His inclusion softens the blow of losing Sani, who was one of six forwards named in the original squad unveiled on Sunday night. Chelle had already lost his own presence on the trip to a scheduling clash, and the late injury has forced one more adjustment before the team even boards the plane.
The travelling party and the road to Lubumbashi
The home-based players in the travelling party are goalkeepers Michael Atata of Ikorodu City and Clinton Andy of Rivers United; defenders Odinaka Alfred of Nasarawa United, Emmanuel Ochobi of Rivers United and Aliu Sugau of Barau FC; midfielder Aderemi Adeoye of Ikorodu City; and forward Abdulmuiz Adeleke of Sporting Supreme, The Nation reports. Oche now joins them as the eighth home-based player.
The foreign-based players will travel directly to Lubumbashi to join their team-mates, with the first leg kicking off at 5pm on Friday, 13 November at the Stade TP Mazembe. The game is expected to be played behind closed doors for security reasons. Nigeria then host the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on Tuesday, 17 November.
The winner of the tie advances to the final qualifying round, where either Burkina Faso or Zambia await, for a place at the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. That tournament doubles as Africa’s qualifying route for the men’s football event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, so the stakes stretch well beyond this week. Nigeria received a bye in the first qualifying round and must now negotiate the DR Congo hurdle to keep the Olympic dream alive.
Ortega leads the team as Chelle stays with the Super Eagles
Chelle will not be in Lubumbashi. The head coach is with the Super Eagles in Uyo for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania, whose two fixtures fall on the same dates as the U-23 matches, so assistant coach Deniran Ortega takes charge of the Olympic Eagles, assisted by Ikorodu City coach Bright Ozebagbe.
Brighton forward Zadok Yohanna headlines the foreign-based stars, alongside Benfica’s Peter Edokpolor and Molde midfielder Daniel Daga, and there is also good news on the travel front. Fulham midfielder Chibuzor Nwoko, one of seven players who won their first caps in October’s friendly against Russia, has had a passport issue resolved, according to reports, clearing him to make the trip.
The Olympic Eagles have not played at the Olympic Games since Rio 2016, and the road back runs through Lubumbashi on Friday. Beat DR Congo over two legs and the final qualifying round is in sight. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Image: SportsBuddy graphic design — no licensed player photograph was available for this story.
