Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has expressed confidence that the absence of some key players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers would not have any negative impact against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Peseiro gave this assurance during a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Talismanic forward, Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, and Zaidu Sanusi were excluded from the squad for the qualifiers due to injury concerns.
Osimhen and Chukwueze sustained hamstring injuries in Nigeria’s friendly against Saudi Arabia last month.
Sanusi recently returned to action for the Portuguese club, FC Porto, after spending around six weeks on the sidelines.
The Portuguese gaffer confidently noted that he has enough quality at his disposal to cope with the trio’s absence.
“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.”
“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”, Peseiro said.
The Super Eagles will host the Likuena of Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Thursday.
