AFCON: What Osimhen's fitness means to Nigeria, South Africa clash

Advertisements

It was glad news as Victor Osimhen is now fit for the line-up for Nigeria against South Africa clash in the ongoing African Cup of Nations, AFCON, tournament semi final.

This was a fine boost for Super Eagles of Nigeria and a delightful surprise as the top striker, Victor Osimhen, gets the green light to join the national team for the AFCON Semi-final showdown against South Africa.

Osimhen, who plays for Napoli, was initially sidelined due to an injury sustained in the game against Angola. This setback led to doubts about his inclusion in the squad for the crucial match.

However, hope was rekindled for the Super Eagles as news broke that Osimhen is fit to play, providing a much-needed boost for coach Jose Peseiro against the formidable South African team.

Reports from Abidjan, where the tournament is being hosted, confirmed that Osimhen has joined his teammates for Wednesday’s highly anticipated match.

Super Eagles vs Bafana Bafana: The predicted line-up

A 3-4-3 formation has worked so well for Jose Peseiro, and that’s how the Super Eagles are expected to line up for this match.

Stanley Nwabali

Stanley Nwabali has the safest hands at this tournament. He kept four consecutive clean sheets, conceding just once at AFCON 2024.

The Chippa United shot-stopper should start between the sticks for Nigeria.

Semi Ajayi

Semi Ajayi started all of Nigeria’s games at this tournament. He’s averaging 90 minutes per game, which means he has never been substituted.

To put things into perspective, the Super Eagles have played over 500 minutes at AFCON 2024 if you include stoppage-time, and Ajayi was on the field every single minute.

William Troost-Ekong

William Troost-Ekong started all but one of Nigeria’s matches, and he only missed the Guinea-Bissau game due to an injury.

The PAOK defender is the Super Eagles captain, so his place in the starting XI is almost guaranteed.

Interestingly, Troost-Ekong scored the winning goal the last time Nigeria and South Africa went head-to-head. He’s probably the go-to guy when it comes to penalties, having scored the team’s only penalty vs Ivory Coast.

Calvin Bassey

Calvin Bassey came in for Zaidu Sanusi in Nigeria’s opening match, and he has started every game since then.

As a matter of fact, the Fulham player was on the field for every minute of the Super Eagles’ last four games.

As it stands, Peseiro’s troops are still yet to concede when Bassey is on the pitch.

Ola Aina

Ola Aina is another player who has been rock-solid for the Super Eagles, starting all of their games.

The Nottingham Forest player hasn’t been substituted since Nigeria reached the knockout stages.

The only time Aina was subbed off in Nigeria’s last four matches was in the 94th minute vs Guinea-Bissau, the game ended a minute later.

Frank Onyeka

Frank Onyeka has been one of Nigeria’s best midfielders at this competition, contributing offensively and defensively.

The Brentford player started all five Super Eagles games and should be on the starting XI, barring any injuries.

Alex Iwobi

Although Alex Iwobi hasn’t really impressed at this tournament, the former Arsenal player’s performance against Angola was arguably his best in AFCON 2024.

Iwobi started four of five matches, and will likely get the nod to start vs South Africa.

Zaidu Sanusi

Zaidu Sanusi played all 90 minutes for the first time in the Super Eagles’ quarter-final clash with Angola.

Although he has averaged 69 minutes per game, the FC Porto player started four of Nigeria’s five matches at this tournament.

Moses Simon

The last time the Super Eagles faced South Africa, Moses Simon set up Nigeria’s winning goal.

To be fair, the Nantes player has underperformed for the most part. However, he’s coming off his best performance at this competition, and should get the nod ahead of Samuel Chukwueze.

Ademola Lookman

Ademola Lookman making the Super Eagles start XI vs. South Africa is a no-brainer. The 26-year-old has been arguably Nigeria’s best player since the start of the knockout stages, scoring three times in his last two games.

In fact, no other player has scored for Nigeria in the knockout stages of AFCON 2024.

Victor Osimhen

Another player who is guaranteed a spot when he is available is Victor Osimhen, who has tormented Nigeria’s opponents in this tournament.

Although the 25-year-old has one goal and one assist to his name, he was directly or indirectly involved in at least four of Nigeria’s six goals at AFCON 2024.

The Napoli player should join the rest of the team on Tuesday, after he initially stayed behind when the rest of the squad travelled on Monday.