Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has made the decision to start Chippa United's Stanley Nwabali instead of Francis Uzoho for Nigeria's AFCON 2023 opener against Equatorial Guinea.
This will be the 27-year-old's first appearance for Nigeria in a competitive fixture.
Uzoho's recent performances for the national team have been below expectations, as he conceded six times in his last four appearances.
The Omonia Nicosia shot-stopper made a couple of blunders that led to some of those goals, so it'll be interesting to see how Nwabali fares in his stead.
Atalanta's Ademola Lookman was also named in the starting line-up and will have his AFCON debut on Sunday.
Familiar faces back for Super Eagles in AFCON 2023 opener
Interestingly, Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina earns his second start for the Super Eagles since mid-September.
He replaces Bright Osayi-Samuel at right-back.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is also back in the starting XI, after missing Nigeria's clash with Guinea earlier this week.
The Super Eagles will begin their AFCON 2023 campaign with a mouthwatering clash with Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea on Sunday January 14.
Both teams will meet at the Félix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, and kick-off time is set for 3 pm GMT+1.
A few Super Eagles players picked up injuries over the past couple of weeks, and some had to be replaced.
Umar Sadiq, Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Boniface, who were called up to José Peseiro's 25-man squad for the AFCON, had to be replaced due to injuries.
Paul Onuachu, Alhassan Yusuf and Terem Moffi were called on to take their places. Also, Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho faces a late fitness test ahead of the Super Eagles' opening game.
In spite of the injuries, Peseiro has a lot of options to choose from, with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon available for selection.
With that being said, these are the confirmed lineups for Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea:
Nigeria confirmed lineup vs Equatorial Guinea
Goalkeeper: Stanley Nwabali
Defenders: Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, William Troost-Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi
Midfielders: Frank Onyeka, Alhassan Yusuf, Alex Iwobi
Forwards: Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman
The Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea clash will be broadcast live on Supersport, NTA Sports 24 and StarTimes Sports Premium.
