The Super Eagles first training session for Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania finally took place in Uyo on Tuesday evening, with 17 of Eric Chelle’s 24 invited players taking part at the practice pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
It was a session that almost did not happen on schedule. Monday’s arrivals were disrupted by flight scheduling challenges at the Victor Attah International Airport, leaving Chelle waiting alone in Uyo on the first day of camp, with not a single player having reported by Monday evening.
That changed on Tuesday morning, when ten players landed in Uyo. They included goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Arthur Okonkwo, Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Moses Simon, Akor Adams, Benjamin Fredrick and Alhassan Yusuf — all in camp in time for the evening session.
Super Eagles first training: who was there, who is still to come
Seven more players were spotted during the session, taking the number in camp to 17. Bright Osayi-Samuel, Tolu Arokodare, Chibuike Nwaiwu, Samson Tijani, Tochukwu Nnadi, Francis Uzoho and Ademola Lookman all joined the group on the training pitch.
Seven players are still expected to join the squad. Bruno Onyemaechi, Abdullahi Bewene, captain Wilfred Ndidi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Taiwo Awoniyi, Moses Usor and new invitee Mubarak Suleiman are yet to report, and Chelle will hope to have the full squad available as preparations intensify ahead of Friday’s encounter. Chelle named his 24-man squad on Saturday knowing the margin for error in this double-header is almost zero.
Chelle is already without his biggest names. Star striker Victor Osimhen is out after knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined for around five weeks, while Samuel Chukwueze is also unavailable after hip surgery. Osimhen underwent successful surgery on Saturday, and the coach must now find a way to replace his goals from a squad that also leaves out in-form Kelechi Iheanacho, who has scored 17 goals for Bursaspor this season.
What is at stake against Tanzania
Nigeria sit second in Group L with three points from their opening two fixtures — a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo followed by a 3-0 defeat in Bissau against Guinea-Bissau, who lead the group on six points. With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the 2027 tournament as co-hosts, only one ticket is left in the group, and Nigeria need maximum points from this double-header to strengthen their grip on it.
The first leg kicks off at 17:00 WAT on Friday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. The return leg follows on Tuesday 17 November at 14:00 WAT at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. Tanzania landed in Uyo five days early and have already held their first training session.
Chelle’s race against the clock
The condensed build-up is Chelle’s biggest problem. With the first session only held on Tuesday evening and the full squad possibly not training together until Wednesday, the coach has barely three days to shape a team and settle on an attack without Osimhen. Players are expected to be available for interviews at the team’s base on Wednesday, with the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
For more on Friday’s qualifier, check today’s predictions. PUNCH Sports Extra reported from Uyo that preparations intensify from Wednesday, with the full squad expected in camp.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) — collage by SportsBuddy.
