Super Eagles top striker, Victor Osimhen has rejoined the rest of the Super Eagles squad for training in the Northern Ivorian town of Bouake, where Nigeria and South Africa are set to lock horns this evening as they slug it out for a place in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The meeting between both sides goes beyond just a semi-final fixture as the clash rekindles the rivalry between both nations on various fronts as they look to exert supremacy on the pitch of play.
This will, however, be the fourth encounter between Nigeria and South Africa in the AFCON, with the Super Eagles winning the previous three games with an aggregate score of 8-1.
So far, both sides have had an impressive run to the semi-final – though with Nigeria edging South Africa as the Super Eagles remain unbeaten while Bafana Bafana suffered an early loss against Mali before beating Namibia and qualifying for Round of 16 where they dispatched Morocco by 2-0.
Boasting of quality players in their ranks, the quality of play on Wednesday is expected to be top-notch with Hugo Broos spurred to lead this generation of South Africa players to continental glory just like he did with Cameroon in 2017.
For Jose Peseiro, the expectations from home are so high that anything short of the title will be a disappointment for millions of Nigerians. With that drive, and the strong form of the team in Cote D’Ivoire, the Super Eagles will be a red-hot dynamite South Africans must find a way to deal with or find themselves battling for a bronze finish.
Meanwhile, Nigerians can heave a sigh of relieve as team doctors have declared that Osimhen is “fine and he is good to start” against South Africa.
The CAF Player of the Year was a major doubt for the AFCON semifinal after he stayed behind with a member of the Eagles medical team in Abidjan when the team departed for Bouake Monday night.
He also did not feature in the team’s last training in Abidjan.
An official statement said Osimhen was suffering from an abdominal discomfort, but he has since learnt he really needed a lot more rest so as to manage his body on account of his all-action style.
The 25-year-old Napoli striker has literally put his body on the line during this AFCON and so the need for him to skip several trainings so as to stay fit and fresh.
It was learnt that he often takes an extra day from training at his Italian club for a similar reason.
