Super Eagles: 2 players who could lose starting spots vs Tanzania

The Super Eagles will face Tanzania in Zanzibar in the second leg of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday, with some players at risk of losing their places in the starting lineup.

Nigeria recorded a 3-1 victory over the Taifa Stars in the first leg last Friday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, reviving their hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament.

Alhassan Yusuf opened the scoring in the second minute after being set up by Ademola Lookman. However, Tanzania restored parity just after the half-hour mark through Alphonce Msanga, who finished off a well-worked move by the visitors.

Nigeria eventually regained control of the game, thanks to substitute Tolu Arokodare, who strengthened his case for a more regular role with an impressive brace.

The first of his goals came after fellow substitute Moses Usor combined with Wilfred Ndidi, who had been at fault for Tanzania’s equaliser. The Super Eagles captain delivered a cross into the box, allowing Arokodare to produce a sumptuous backheel flick and restore Nigeria’s lead.

The Ajax striker then completed his brace after controlling a pass from Usor before firing home to seal the 3-1 victory.

Despite the important win, Eric Chelle still has some selection decisions to make ahead of Tuesday’s return fixture. His substitutes made a major impact in the clash with some now pushing for starting places, while a few players failed to meet expectations and could find themselves dropped.

With Lookman also ruled out for the second leg after picking up a knock in the first encounter, the Nigerian coach may be forced to make further adjustments to his starting XI.

Afrik-Foot looks at two players who could lose their starting spots against Tanzania.

Two players who could drop out of Super Eagles XI against Tanzania

1. Akor Adams

One player whose starting position has come under threat is Venezia striker Akor Adams. The 26-year-old made his Super Eagles debut last year and has since become an important part of the team, featuring alongside Victor Osimhen in Chelle’s preferred two-man attacking setup.

However, his recent performances for the national team have been underwhelming. Adams struggled to make much of an impact in both September qualifiers and was again largely ineffective in Friday’s victory over Tanzania.

He was also Nigeria’s lowest-rated player in the match, receiving a 6.1 rating from Sofascore. During his 78 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, the former Sevilla striker attempted five shots but failed to register a single effort on target.

Having struggled in the previous qualifiers, Adams needed an impressive performance against Tanzania to strengthen his position in the team. However, he barely got involved in the 3-1 victory, further increasing the possibility of him being dropped for the return fixture.

In contrast, Arokodare made an immediate impact after coming on at half-time, scoring twice and coming close to completing a hat-trick. His performance has strengthened calls for the Ajax striker to be handed a starting role, potentially at Adams’ expense.

Chelle could therefore consider dropping Adams and giving Arokodare the opportunity to lead the attack from the start, especially after the former’s recent unconvincing displays.

2. Tochukwu Nnadi

Tochukwu Nnadi is another player who could drop out of the starting lineup if Chelle decides to make tactical adjustments following Lookman’s injury concern.

The Nigerian coach could consider changing his formation and adopting a more attacking approach for the return fixture, especially after seeing the impact his substitutes made in the second half of Friday’s encounter.

Chelle showed a glimpse of that possibility when he replaced Nnadi and Alhassan Yusuf with Moses Usor and Tolu Arokodare after the break.

The changes gave Nigeria a different attacking dimension, with Usor playing a big role in both of Arokodare’s goals. 

With Lookman unavailable for Tuesday’s encounter, Chelle could be tempted to make some attacking adjustments rather than stick with the same midfield arrangement and Nnadi could be the player to make way.

Nigeria have revived their qualifying campaign with the victory in Uyo and will now be hoping to secure another win in Zanzibar to keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 AFCON firmly on track and avoid another major setback.