Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro remains optimistic that Stanley Nwabali will be fit for Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) clash with Angola.
The Chippa United shot-stopper was injured in Nigeria‘s Round of 16 game after clashing with Cameroon's Georges-Kévin N'Koudou.
He was replaced by Frank Uzoho at the 80-minute mark.
As it stands, no team has conceded fewer goals than the Super Eagles at the Nations Cup, and that's because Nwabali has been rock-solid, making eight saves and keeping three consecutive clean sheets in the process.
While speaking to the press on Monday, Peseiro was asked if Nwabali will be available for Nigeria's quarter-final game.
“It's not a big injury, but this moment we need to check in the next two days if he'll be available for the match,” the Super Eagles coach replied.
Who starts if Stanley Nwabali isn't available?
When asked what his substitute plan was if Nwabali wasn't fit for Nigeria's clash with Angola, Peseiro simply said, “Play Frank”.
The Portuguese coach was referring to Francis Uzoho, who was Nigeria's first-choice goalkeeper before AFCON 2024.
Uzoho's performances for the Super Eagles have been anything but satisfactory, as he conceded six times in his last four starts.
As a matter of fact, Nigeria conceded first in those four matches, even though they were the clear favourites to win.
The Super Eagles will square off against the Palancas Negras of Angola at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Friday, February 2. Whoever wins that game will advance to the semi-final of AFCON 2024.
