2027 AFCON qualifiers: Fitness concerns worry Chelle, says Bissau clash won’t be easy

Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has fitness concerns to manage as Nigeria prepares to face Guinea Bissau in an AFCON qualifier. One player may be carrying a knock and a few others have been unwell according to the team handler in a post match interview made available to the media.

Chelle said he will only know the true state of his squad after the final training session.

“Of course, I will think about the condition we have to manage. Maybe George Ilenikhena, he has a little something,” he said.

“After that we have two or three players, they are little sick. So we see after the training session.”

The problem is made worse by the short preparation time available, which Chelle blamed on the FIFA window.

“Before tomorrow, we didn’t have some training session to work a lot. You know, this is the problem of this kind of FIFA window. You have only one or two training sessions to prepare something. After that you have only one or two training sessions to recover and you have to travel.”

Chelle also warned that Guinea Bissau will be tough opposition, with players who compete in Europe.

“They have a great team. They have some players who play in Europe and in particularly in France. So this is a big game,” he said.

Despite the fitness worries, he urged his players to keep their focus and protect the win from the last game against Madagascar.

“The most important thing for us to go forward is to try to keep this victory. But it will not be easy. So we have to stay focused about our group and our state of mind. This is the most important thing.”

He declined to blame the pitch for any difficulties. “I don’t want to say the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. You work on the pitch. Like I said, we just need to stay focused on our game project.”

Chelle said the team studied the last game closely and the numbers back up the result. “We watched the last game, we analyzed this game, and if you see the statistic, you can say we deserve this victory.”

Stanley Nwabali started in goal against Madagascar, but Maduka Okoye is available and could be considered for the second fixture.

In midfield, Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi started the opening game, while Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyeka provide Chelle with alternative options.

At the back, Ola Aina, Bruno Onyemaechi, Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey formed the defensive line against Madagascar, with Bright Osayi-Samuel, Benjamin Fredricks and Emmanuel Fernandez among the other options in the squad.

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