Super Eagles: Chelle on alert as key defender suffers injury ahead of AFCON qualifiers

Super Eagles coach Éric Chelle could be without a key defender when Nigeria begins its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign next month, Soccernet.ng reports.

​The Super Eagles finished third at the 2025 AFCON, but they will be looking to do even better when the next edition takes place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda next year. However, they have to qualify for the competition first, and that process kicks off next month.

​The three-time African champions have been drawn alongside Madagascar, Tanzania, and Guinea-Bissau in Group C.

​With the qualifying series set to kick off next month, coach Chelle will likely have started compiling his squad list for the first two games against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. However, he might have to exclude Zaidu Sanusi from his selection.

​This comes after the 29-year-old suffered an injury in Porto's Portuguese league match against Académico de Viseu on Saturday evening.

​The Super Eagles star started the game as usual for the reigning Portuguese champions, but he had to be helped off the pitch in the 18th minute following a serious injury. At the time he was substituted, Porto were leading 1-0, with the match eventually ending 3-0 in their favour.

+3 golos e +3 pontos 💙

⚽️ André Silva, Gabri Veiga e William Gomes#AVFCFCP #PortoDeHonra pic.twitter.com/Ydhjkde50H

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 29, 2026

​The convincing victory was enough for the club to maintain top spot on the table with a maximum 12 points from four matches, but Sanusi paid the price.

​As of now, the nature of the injury has not been confirmed, but he could be forced to spend a few weeks on the sidelines.

​Super Eagles: Is There Cover for Zaidu Sanusi?

​The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are just over three weeks away, and the possibility of Sanusi returning before then and being match-ready is slim.

​Consequently, Super Eagles coach Chelle will have to find an alternative. Nonetheless, since the Franco-Malian took charge, Bruno Onyemaechi has often featured at left-back and consistently performed well.

​With Sanusi likely sidelined, Chelle might need to adjust his options. Calvin Bassey is capable of playing in that position, so if Onyemaechi were to pick up an injury as well, the Fulham defender can easily put in a solid shift.

​Even without Sanusi, the Super Eagles should have enough depth to cope against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.