The Terem Moffi injury story has taken a fresh twist, with the Super Eagles striker suffering another setback in his recovery from a recurring knee problem. Moffi missed Hamburger SV’s team training on Wednesday — the latest Terem Moffi injury setback — raising doubts over his availability for Sunday’s friendly against Hajduk Split — and leaving Hamburg sweating on their No. 9 ahead of the North Derby against Werder Bremen on 22 November.
According to AllNigeriaSoccer, the 27-year-old was unable to take part in the main session after his knee reacted again — the same joint that has troubled him since he ruptured his cruciate ligament in 2024. Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin acknowledged the problem had returned, telling Hamburger Abendblatt, via Ligainsider: “His knee is a recurring issue; it has reacted. We were all aware of this problem. We need to find the best ways for him to cope with it.”
Terem Moffi injury: what happened in Hamburg
Moffi did manage an intensive gym workout on Wednesday morning, but there is no confirmed date for his return to full team training. He is therefore unlikely to feature when Hamburg take on Hajduk Split in Sunday’s friendly as the club continues to monitor his condition.
There is, however, optimism that he could recover in time for the North Derby against Werder Bremen on 22 November. Hamburg’s target is to have him fit for the encounter, although his return will depend on how his knee responds to the coming days of rehabilitation. The Bundesliga injury list already carries Moffi as a doubt.
Terem Moffi injury: a familiar problem for the striker
This is not the first time the knee has interrupted Moffi’s season. He suffered the cruciate ligament injury in training in July 2024 and spent 243 days on the sidelines before making his comeback in March 2025. The same joint flared up again in September, when he lasted only 45 minutes of Hamburg’s 2-1 win over Cologne — an episode that cost him a place in Nigeria’s September qualifiers and kept him out of the friendly against Copenhagen on 4 October.
Back in full training in early October, he came off the bench to head home his first Hamburg goal in the 3-2 win at Hoffenheim on 10 October, then scored again in the DFB Pokal win over Eintracht Frankfurt on 27 October. Since joining Hamburg permanently from Nice on 24 August — a reported fee of around €2m, with the No. 9 shirt — he has made eight Bundesliga appearances and scored twice. Wednesday’s setback is a reminder of how fragile that progress remains.
Terem Moffi injury: what it means for Hamburg and the Super Eagles
For Hamburg, the timing is awkward. The international break was supposed to give Moffi two quiet weeks to build fitness; instead, the medical team are back managing the knee that has defined his first months in Germany, with the Werder Bremen derby on 22 November the fixture they have circled.
For Nigeria, the blow at least falls away from the camp in Uyo. Moffi was not named in Eric Chelle’s 24-man squad for the Tanzania double-header, so there is no late withdrawal to manage three days before Friday’s qualifier — unlike Victor Osimhen, whose return date remains a tug of war between two Turkish briefings. Moffi’s fight is a club one: to prove the knee can be managed well enough to keep him on the pitch. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Volksparkstadion panorama by Sharkomat, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) — collage by SportsBuddy
