Arokodare Fitness Doubt Clouds Super Eagles’ AFCON Qualifiers

Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has raised concerns over his fitness ahead of Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Arokodare, who recently recovered from a bout of fever, admitted that he is still struggling to regain full strength after returning to action for Ajax.

The 25-year-old came off the bench in Ajax’s 2-2 draw with Excelsior on Saturday and scored two minutes after his introduction, but revealed afterwards that the appearance exposed his lack of full fitness.

“You could see after five or six minutes that I was hunched over because I was tired. I needed this match to realise that I am not yet 100 per cent fit. I still feel weak,” Arokodare told ESPN.

“I haven’t recovered as much as I thought. I wanted to start, but I don’t think I could have. We had a tactical training session in the morning and my legs were weak. I was dead after five or six minutes into the match.”

The forward added that he hoped to use the international break to complete his recovery and be available to help Nigeria.

“I am happy that I was able to come on, though. Hopefully, I will recover fully during the international break,” he said.

Arokodare’s fitness will be monitored by the Super Eagles technical crew as Nigeria prepare for a demanding double-header within four days.

Nigeria will host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, September 25, before travelling to Guinea-Bissau for their second qualifying fixture on September 29. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed Madagascar’s opening trip to Nigeria as part of the country’s first two qualifying matches.

The striker’s fitness issue comes at an important time for coach Éric Chelle, with Victor Osimhen unavailable after an injury and Taiwo Awoniyi called up as his replacement. Arokodare is therefore among the options available to lead Nigeria’s attack alongside Awoniyi and Akor Adams.

Madagascar arrive in Uyo

Meanwhile, Madagascar have arrived in Uyo ahead of Friday’s encounter.

The Barea landed at Victor Attah International Airport at about 2:05pm on Monday with a 28-member delegation of players and officials before proceeding to their hotel, according to Complete Sports.

Additional members of the delegation are expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Coach Corentin Martins’ side will be aiming to start their qualifying campaign with a positive result against the Super Eagles before returning home to host Tanzania four days later.

Madagascar will also draw confidence from their most recent competitive meeting with Nigeria, when they defeated the Super Eagles 2-0 in the group stage of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The Barea also come into the qualifiers after reaching the final of the recent African Nations Championship, giving Martins’ side further confidence ahead of their trip to Uyo.

With Madagascar already settling into Uyo and Nigeria preparing for their opening qualifier, Arokodare’s recovery is set to be one of the issues closely watched by the Super Eagles camp as Chelle finalises his plans for Friday’s encounter.