The Super Eagles will fly out to Zanzibar on Sunday as Nigeria turn their attention to Tuesday’s return leg against Tanzania, with the Super Eagles Zanzibar trip now confirmed by officials in Uyo. Eric Chelle’s side will board a chartered flight from Uyo to Zanzibar City on Sunday, a day after Friday’s 3-1 win over the Taifa Stars at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The return leg of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header is scheduled for Tuesday, 17 November, at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, with kick-off at 14:00 WAT.
Super Eagles Zanzibar: Chelle says Uyo win ‘means nothing’ without a result in the return leg
Chelle wasted no time after Friday’s win in turning his players’ minds to the second leg. The Super Eagles coach warned that the 3-1 victory in Uyo will count for little if Nigeria fail to follow it up in Zanzibar, where Tanzania will be desperate to avenge the defeat on home soil.
“We have to go to Tanzania to win this game,” Chelle said after the match. “But the reality is nothing. We have the second game after. The most important is the next game.”
Tanzania are already guaranteed a place at the 2027 finals as co-hosts alongside Kenya and Uganda, which means they can play with freedom — and Chelle knows the return leg at the Amaan Stadium will be a different test entirely, with the Taifa Stars playing in front of their own supporters.
Lookman knee still the big question for Zanzibar
The biggest fitness question hanging over the Super Eagles Zanzibar trip is Ademola Lookman. The Atletico Madrid forward was forced off in first-half stoppage time in Uyo after a knock to his knee, and Chelle confirmed after the game that the winger’s availability for Tuesday remains uncertain.
“Ademola has a little problem. He took a knock on his knee when he tried to score a goal with his left foot,” Chelle said. “His knee started to feel bad. After that, he took a knock on his knee. This is why he went off the pitch.”
There is still no official timeline for Lookman’s recovery, and no scan result has been made public, so the Super Eagles will travel without knowing whether their most creative attacker will be available in Zanzibar. There was better news for defenders Calvin Bassey and Benjamin Fredrick, who both recovered from cramps picked up during Friday’s game and are fit to travel.
Group L: Nigeria one point behind Guinea-Bissau
Friday’s win was built on a fast start and a decisive second-half change. Alhassan Yusuf opened the scoring after just two minutes, set up by Lookman, before Alphonce Msanga levelled for Tanzania in the 32nd minute. Substitute Tolu Arokodare then settled the game with two goals in eight minutes after the break, in the 52nd and 60th minutes.
The result lifts Nigeria to six points from three games, one behind Guinea-Bissau, who were held 1-1 by Madagascar on Thursday. With Tanzania already through as co-hosts, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar are chasing the group’s one remaining qualification ticket, and goal difference could yet matter — another reason Chelle wants a convincing performance in Zanzibar rather than a narrow one.
Victor Osimhen remains sidelined after knee surgery and will play no part in the double-header, so Chelle will again lean on Arokodare, Akor Adams and Taiwo Awoniyi to lead the line. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Arne Müseler) — collage by SportsBuddy
