Nigeria will play their first game in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
The Super Eagles will face Lakuena of Lesotho in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State with their hitman, Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen was the highest goal scorer in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers but will miss Nigeria’s first two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Nigeria will play Lesotho on Thursday before travelling to Zimbabwe for the second game as they hope to pocket all six points from the two games.
In Osimhen’s absence, Nigeria is blessed with other top strikers making their names in Europe, who are ready to lead the line.
Such names include Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest and Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City.
The team’s coach, Jose Peseiro has already said he is unperturbed with the absence of some of his key players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Other absentees include Samuel Chukwueze and Zaidu Sanusi whose absence is due to fitness concerns.
Osimhen and Chukwueze sustained hamstring injuries in Nigeria’s friendly against Saudi Arabia last month.
“No Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Zaidu and others are not fit but I am only speaking about them because you asked me. It’s better I think about the 23 players, come with more confidence, I don’t care about the others, only I said recover well, for that I call them,” Peseiro told a press conference in Uyo.
“All of them I call all the time, not only Osimhen. I call them, you work well, good job, but after that when we start the camping our team is this team, no other team.”
The Super Eagles will host the Likuena of Lesotho at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Thursday
