Peseiro Submits 40 Man Super Eagles AFCON Squad, Notable Names Like Orban and Balogun Missing

• Gift Orban has been omitted from the Super Eagles squad for AFCON 2023
• Head coach Jose Peseiro has submitted his 40-man provisional list to CAF
• Nigeria is bidding to win its fourth Africa Cup of Nations title in Ivory Coast

Nigeria head coach, Jose Peseiro has submitted his 40-man provisional list to CAF ahead of next year's Africa Cup of Nations with Gent forward, Gift Orban one of the biggest omissions.

The 21-year-old forward joins veteran defender, Leon Balogun and Super Eagles' first-choice goalkeeper at the last AFCON, Maduka Okoye as falling out of Nigeria's provisional squad.

According to ACL Sports, Kelechi Nwakali and Sporting Lagos goalkeeper, Christian Nwoke are surprise inclusions on Nigeria’s 40-man list as the former Golden Eaglets captain makes a return to the team since the last AFCON tournament.

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Recent absentees from the Super Eagles - Ahmed Musa, William Troost-Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi, and Paul Onuachu - have all been named to the preliminary list, which will be reduced to 27 players on January 3, 2024.

Nigeria, bidding for a fourth AFCON title, will face Equatorial Guinea in their first group match of the 2023 edition on January 14, 2024, before further matches against Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group A.

NFF plays safe with Orban exclusion

Meanwhile, the omission of Orban from Nigeria’s 40-man AFCON provisional squad shows the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are unwilling to gamble with his controversial international status, Score Nigeria reports.

The forward, who also qualifies to play for Togo, was born and raised in the West African country, although the Gent forward claims his father hails from Benue State of Nigeria.

The 21-year-old did not make his long-awaited Super Eagles debut against Sao Tome & Principe in Uyo earlier this year after he reportedly suffered an injury.

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Osimhen backs Nigeria for AFCON

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Victor Osimhen declaring Nigeria is ready for AFCON 2023 and is optimistic they will be one of the major contenders for the title in Ivory Coast.

The Super Eagles last won the tournament in 2013 when Steven Keshi led the team to its third continental title, but they have failed to make the final of the tourney since.

Osimhen, recently crowned as the 2023 Africa Player of the Year, is confident the Super Eagles are raring to go and have the capacity to defeat other top teams this year.