Nigeria’s interim coach, Austin Eguavoen, has made a surprising decision to bench Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen for the Super Eagles’ opening Group D match against Benin Republic in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a bold move, Eguavoen has opted to start Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface alongside Taiwo Awoniyi in the attack. The rest of the starting lineup includes Stanley Nwabali in goal, a defensive quartet of Semi Ajayi, William Troost-Ekong, Calvin Bassey, and Ola Aina, and a midfield trio of Bruno Onyemaechi, Wilfred Ndidi, and Alex Iwobi.
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The decision to bench Osimhen is primarily due to his recent transfer saga. The 25-year-old only secured a move to Galatasaray on Wednesday after failed attempts to join Al Ahli and Chelsea. As a result, he arrived in camp on Thursday and has had limited training time with his teammates compared to Boniface, who arrived earlier.
Osimhen has also not been involved in a competitive game this season compared to Boniface. He also didn’t feature in preseason for Napoli having opted out of the team to avoid injuries.
Regardless of who starts upfront, the Super Eagles’ goal is to secure a victory and earn all three points in the match, which kicks off at 5 PM Nigerian time at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
