Scare for Nigeria As Osimhen, Yusuf Train Separately Ahead of Ivory Coast Clash

• Victor Osimhen risks missing Nigeria’s crucial clash against Ivory Coast
• The Napoli forward and Alhassan Yusuf trained separately on Monday
• The Super Eagles are set to face the Ivory Coast on Thursday, January 18

Super Eagles stars, Victor Osimhen and Alhassan Yusuf, are running a race against time to be fit for Nigeria’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations tie against Ivory Coast.

The Napoli forward scored the Super Eagles' sole goal against Equatorial Guinea, while the Royal Antwerp midfielder was stretched off in the same game after picking up an injury.

According to Score Nigeria, Osimhen and Yusuf were spotted training away from the rest of the Nigerian squad during Monday’s training session, causing panic among supporters.

Yusuf, who replaced the injured Wilfred Ndidi from Nigeria’s AFCON squad, impressed Nigerians with his display against Equatorial Guinea before picking up an injury.

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Nigeria, who are third in Group A with one point, will tackle Ivory Coast on Thursday, January 18, as they hope to keep their AFCON dreams alive and avoid being knocked out in the first round.

Super Eagles address injury concerns

Meanwhile, media officer of the Super Eagles, Babafemi Raji, has assured Nigerians that both Osimhen and Yusuf will be fit for the team’s next match against Ivory Coast, Daily Post reports.

Osimhen played the entire 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, while Yusuf was replaced in the second half by Joe Aribo, but both players suffered a knock and trained away from the team on Monday.

The Super Eagles squad had been hit with massive injury setbacks prior to the kick-off of the AFCON, with superstars like Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Boniface, and Sadiq Umar dropping out of the squad due to injuries.

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that the Super Eagles of Nigeria began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with a draw against Equatorial Guinea, leaving many disappointed.

Nigeria would concede the opening goal after a brilliant finish from the edge of the box by Fuenlabrada's Iban Salvador.

The Super Eagles responded quickly, levelling the score just two minutes later with a stunning header from star attacker, Osimhen, who connected with a cross from Ademola Lookman.