Super Eagles caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen has named a 23-man squad for Nigeria’s crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying doubleheader against Libya’s Mediterranean Knights. The list, released by the Nigeria Football Federation on Saturday, sees a mix of seasoned players and fresh faces, though it is marked by the absence of two key players, Victor Osimhen and Olisa Ndah, both sidelined due to injuries.
Galatasaray forward Osimhen, a key player for Nigeria, was ruled out after sustaining a muscle injury during his club’s Super Lig clash against Kasımpaşa on September 28. The injury is expected to keep him out for several weeks. Similarly, Orlando Pirates defender Ndah will miss the qualifiers due to injury.
Despite these absences, the squad includes experienced players such as Captain William Troost-Ekong, Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi, and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi. The team also welcomes back Chidera Ejuke, who returns to the national side after a string of impressive performances for Sevilla.
The Super Eagles will face Libya first at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, October 11, before traveling to Benghazi for the return leg at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium on Tuesday, October 15. Both matches are critical as Nigeria seeks to secure its place in the 2025 AFCON tournament.
In-form players such as Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman and FC Nantes’ Moses Simon have also been called up. With Osimhen unavailable, much of the attacking responsibility will fall on Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, who have both been in good form for their clubs.
Returning to the squad is Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel, who missed the last set of qualifiers. Eguavoen has also brought in Kelechi Iheanacho and midfield options like Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Augsburg’s Frank Onyeka to strengthen the team.
The full squad is expected to report in Uyo by Monday, October 7, to begin preparations for the important qualifiers.
**Full Squad List:**
**Goalkeepers:**
– Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa)
– Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy)
– Amas Obasogie (Fasil Kenema SC, Ethiopia)
**Defenders:**
– William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood FC, Saudi Arabia)
– Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce SK, Turkey)
– Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal)
– Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England)
– Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England)
– Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England)
– Benjamin Tanimu (Crawley Town, England)
**Midfielders:**
– Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England)
– Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium)
– Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA)
– Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio FC, Italy)
– Frank Onyeka (Augsburg FC, Germany)
– Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
**Forwards:**
– Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy)
– Chidera Ejuke (Sevilla FC, Spain)
– Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy)
– Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla FC, Spain)
– Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
– Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France)
– Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England)
With the Super Eagles looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the AFCON qualifiers, the spotlight will be on Eguavoen to lead the team through these crucial matches, even in the absence of key players like Osimhen and Ndah. The squad is still expected to deliver a strong performance in both encounters.
