The senior national team of Nigeria will begin their world cup qualifiers campaign on the 16th of November in Uyo when they take on Lesotho, OwnGoalnigeria.com reports.
Three days later they will be away to Zimbabwe in their adopted ground in Rwanda for their second game of the series. Head coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro has already sent provisional invitation to selected players for the games.
While it is public knowledgeable that the team will be without the duo of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze in attack. Defence is now where the headache is for the Portuguese coach.
Peseiro is still sweating over the fitness of one of his favorites in FC Porto Zaidu Sanusi, who is yet to return from the injury that kept him out of the team’s engagement during the last international break, where they took on Saudi Arabia and Mozambique respectively.
It is still unclear when he will return, the same situation that Semi Ajayi who has emerged as one of the mainstay of the defence the past four games is also facing. The West Brom defender has played at the heart of the team’s defence in their last three competitive games.
His partnership with Calvin Bassey is said to be the favorite of the coach but it is likely not going to be the case against Lesotho and Zimbabwe respectively in November, with Ajayi out injured and expected to miss both games.
“Semi Ajayi, when he was playing in the last ten minutes of the Plymouth game, he turned his ankle. He suffered the same injury as he had before the international break”, coach of West Brom Carlos Corberan said while explaining why the 27 year old wasn’t in the sqaud for the 2-0 win over QPR.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman