Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle is sweating over the plague of injuries that has hit the squad he is expecting in Polokwane, South Africa, as preparations intensify ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho on Friday.
Chelle and his staff settled into The Ranch Hotel early Monday, with players expected to fly in from their club bases across Europe and Asia via Johannesburg.
Training is expected to begin Tuesday morning at the nearby Peter Mokaba Stadium, the same venue for Friday’s decisive Group C clash.
While Chelle will draw encouragement from the blistering form of several attacking stars, the injury report from Europe offers less comfort.
Felix Agu, who was set to deputise at right-back following Bright Osayi-Samuel’s withdrawal, limped off for Werder Bremen at the weekend and is now ruled out of Nigeria’s games against Lesotho and Benin Republic.
Werder Bremen revealed on Monday that the former Germany youth international is set to miss months of competitive action following results of scan on an ankle injury.
Nigeria’s first-choice right-back Ola Aina is currently out until December due to an injury cupped during the last international break.
Elsewhere, Wilfred Ndidi, just returning from a lengthy layoff, endured a forgettable outing for Galatasaray, gifting away possession that led to their equaliser in the Istanbul derby. The Leicester City midfielder remains under close observation as the medical team assesses his match readiness.
