AFCON 2023: Captain Troost-Ekong, Nwabali could miss QF clash against Angola

The Super Eagles will be looking to progress to the semi-finals of the AFCON, but they may have to do that without two of their best players

Ex-Watford defender William Troost-Ekong and Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali may miss Nigeria’s game against Angola in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

After defeating Cameroon in the round of 16, the Super Eagles players had a day of rest ahead of the crucial quarter-finals clash against Angola on Friday, January 2.

However, they returned to training on Monday, and there were some notable developments from their training session as gathered by Soccernet.ng. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who was taken off in the second half of the game against Cameroon due to an injury, had some light training, while Francis Uzoho was engaged in serious training.

Meanwhile, captain Troost-Ekong and Napoli striker Victor Oshimen had bandages strapped to their legs and did not train with the group. With the game against Angola just four days away, this could be a bad sign for Nigeria.

On the other hand, it could just be a precautionary move to help both players recover fully after the draining encounter against Cameroon.

The Super Eagles still have at least three training sessions left before the game against Angola, and the true fitness of the players will be assessed before the fixture.