NIGERIAN FOOTBALL WEEKLY: 23 September 2026
Osimhen Out. Awoniyi Back in the Super Eagles for the First Time in Two Years.
2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and Eric Chelle has six ways to replace his best striker.
Victor Osimhen has withdrawn from the Nigeria squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, having failed to recover from a muscle injury. Galatasaray informed Eric Chelle in recent days that the recovery had been slower than anticipated.
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The replacement is the story. Chelle has called up Taiwo Awoniyi, which returns him to a Nigeria squad for the first time in almost two years.
Awoniyi’s Recall, and What It Has Taken to Get Here
Follow the thread of the last five weeks and the recall reads differently than it would in isolation.
In August Awoniyi left Nottingham Forest for Coventry City for seventeen million pounds, receiving a guard of honour from Forest players, staff and supporters on the City Ground pitch. That farewell was not for a player leaving in good form. It was for someone who had ruptured his intestine against Leicester in May 2025, spent time in an induced coma, and fought his way back to score four goals for a club that had come to regard him as one of its own.
Last week we covered a harder chapter. Coventry had lost all four of their opening Premier League matches and conceded twelve goals across five games. For a striker rebuilding sharpness, arriving into a side losing every week is the least helpful environment there is.
And now a Nigeria call-up, as the direct replacement for the country’s best forward, for the first time since late 2024. Bet9ja’s assessment of his case is straightforward: remarkable strength and speed, and a proven goalscoring record in the Premier League. Chelle is not selecting on current form at Coventry. He is selecting on what Awoniyi is when fit and supplied.
Whether that translates against Madagascar is a separate question. But a player who was in an induced coma sixteen months ago is back in a Super Eagles squad, and that is worth marking properly.
Chelle’s Six Options
Bet9ja set out six candidates to lead the line in Osimhen’s absence, and the list doubles as a snapshot of where Nigerian forward play sits right now.
Ademola Lookman. The most dangerous attacking player left in the squad, and the most likely to be shifted into the central role. He has played as support striker to Osimhen, as a wide forward and behind a front two in Chelle’s 4-3-2-1. Moving him to the focal point changes what Nigeria are rather than merely who plays there.
Tolu Arokodare. The closest thing to a like-for-like swap in physical terms. Six foot five, strong, quick, and capable of letting Nigeria go direct when the game demands it. We covered him in August scoring and assisting off the bench as Ajax beat Sion 4-2 in a Conference League qualifier. Bet9ja suggest he could partner Lookman rather than replace him, physicality alongside technique.
Taiwo Awoniyi. The official replacement in the squad. Strength, speed and a Premier League scoring record, arriving off the back of a difficult opening month at a struggling club.
Akor Adams. A regular starter under Chelle in recent years, usually partnering Osimhen with Lookman behind. He moved to Venezia this summer from Sevilla for sixteen million euros plus seven million in bonuses, a deal we covered when the window closed. With Osimhen out he could simply retain his place and be joined by one of the newer names.
George Ilenikhena. Twenty years old, and recently chose to represent Nigeria rather than France. That decision alone makes this squad significant for him. Chelle may view a qualifier against Madagascar as the right setting to give him experience in a Nigeria shirt before the stakes rise.
Moses Usor. Called up for the first time. Eighteen goals in forty seven appearances for LASK across the last two campaigns, with the physical profile to partner several of the others and the finishing to justify the call. A first cap would be well earned rather than speculative.
Elsewhere in the squad, new defender Isaac James told Bet9ja he cried on receiving his first senior call-up, having achieved something he had worked toward for years. Worth remembering alongside the tactical arithmetic that these are careers reaching a milestone.
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The Nations League Returns
Club football pauses this week and the UEFA Nations League fills the gap, with the 2026/27 edition opening on the back of a World Cup that reshaped several of these teams.
England vs Spain
Spain arrive at Wembley as world champions and have reached the last two Nations League finals. England arrive still processing their World Cup defeat to Argentina, with Thomas Tuchel needing a response on home soil. Both teams have scored in England’s last six matches, and Spain have not lost in ninety minutes since September 2024. Goals rather than a result is where Bet9ja see the value, at 1.68 for both teams to score.
Portugal vs Wales
Portugal’s World Cup exit ended Roberto Martinez’s tenure and Jorge Jesus takes charge for the first time. They have conceded in five of their last seven. Wales have scored in seven straight. At 2.95 for a Portugal win with both teams scoring, this is the standout price of the round and the closest thing to an outright value pick on the card.
Norway vs Denmark
Norway were among the World Cup’s genuine surprises, winning four of their six matches with Haaland scoring throughout. They have lost twice in ninety minutes since November 2024, to France and the Netherlands. Denmark did not qualify for the tournament at all. Norway at 1.73 reflects the gap.
This Week’s Booking Codes
Two sets are live. Wednesday’s club and international card, and CleanThing’s Nations League column published this afternoon.
| Match | Pick | Odds | Code | The Case For It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona vs Paris | Barcelona and over 3.5 | 1.45 | 5SGR28N | Four wins from four, 19 scored and two conceded, four or more in every game |
| Hamilton vs Cowdenbeath | Hamilton and over 2.5 | 1.36 | 5SGQMR9 | Four straight wins and a strong home record against lower league opposition |
| Azerbaijan vs Tajikistan | Over 1.5 goals | 1.28 | 5SGQGJQ | Over 1.5 in the last 11 matches for both sides |
| Chelsea Ladies vs Austria Wien | Chelsea Ladies to win | 1.03 | 5SGQWGV | Unbeaten in five including a 5-0 over Manchester United |
Combined code for those four: 5SGR7RP at 2.58. Load it here.
| Match | Pick | Odds | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal vs Wales | Portugal win and BTTS | 2.95 | Portugal conceding in five of seven; Wales scoring in seven straight |
| Austria vs Israel | Austria win and over 2.5 | 1.86 | Six home wins in seven, but no clean sheet in four World Cup games |
| Montenegro vs Cyprus | Montenegro to win | 1.73 | Never lost to Cyprus in five meetings; four wins in their last seven |
| Norway vs Denmark | Norway to win | 1.73 | Four wins from six at the World Cup; Denmark did not qualify |
| England vs Spain | Both teams to score | 1.68 | BTTS in England’s last six; Spain unbeaten in 90 minutes since 2024 |
Combined Nations League code: 5SMNWHL at 28.97. Load it here.
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Okocha, and the Twenty Greatest
Bet9ja published a ranking of the twenty greatest African footballers of all time this week, alongside a compilation of Jay-Jay Okocha’s best Premier League moments. The timing is accidental but appropriate. A week in which Nigeria are working out how to replace their best striker is a reasonable moment to remember what the country has produced before.
For additional football betting markets beyond Bet9ja, Tribuna.com’s Football Betting sportsbook covers a wide range of leagues and fixtures for Nigerian football fans looking to compare odds across platforms.
What the Qualifiers Actually Mean
These are 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and Nigeria come into them carrying the weight of two consecutive World Cup absences. AFCON is the competition where that record either starts being corrected or hardens into something longer term.
Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are winnable fixtures. They are also exactly the kind of fixtures that have caused Nigeria problems in recent cycles, particularly without Osimhen. A squad containing Lookman, Arokodare, Awoniyi, Adams and two uncapped forwards should have enough. Whether it functions as a team without its reference point up front is the actual test.
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Responsible Gambling
International football is harder to price than club football. Squads change between windows, players arrive carrying club fatigue, and managers use qualifiers to experiment, as Chelle may well do with two uncapped forwards available. Booking codes are informed opinion rather than prediction. Set a budget before you watch and keep to it. Use Bet9ja’s deposit limit and self-exclusion tools if needed. 18+ only.
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