Victor Osimhen will be handed the chance to demonstrate his leadership skills when Nigeria take on Morocco.
Wednesday’s second Africa Cup of Nations semi-final pits the Super Eagles against the Atlas Lions - and tournament hosts - as both nations bid to reach Sunday’s final.
While the losing side will turn their attentions to the third-place play-off at the weekend, the winners will face either Senegal or Egypt for the right to dethrone Ivory Coast as kings of Africa.
Nigeria reached their second successive AFCON semi-final after beating Algeria in the quarter-final last Saturday, with Osimhen and Akor Adams both on the scoresheet.
However, the one negative from the 2-0 win was confirmation that captain Wilfred Ndidi is banned for the showdown with Morocco.
The former Leicester midfielder was a yellow card in the 67th minute for time wasting and with that being his second booking in the AFCON knockout phase, he must serve a one-match ban.
“I am disappointed that our captain will not participate in tomorrow’s match, as his influence on the team is substantial,” Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle said in the pre-match press conference.
As Ndidi will be unavailable for selection when Nigeria face Morocco, it will force Chelle into a change of personnel in midfield and choice of captain.
Club Brugge’s Raphael Onyedika is likely to be handed a start in the engine room and Osimhen will don the armband having been named as the vice-captain on the eve of the tournament.
Osimhen, who has scored four times at AFCON 2025, captained Nigeria in their final group game against Uganda when Ndidi was rested and did so for the final 20 minutes against Algeria after Ndidi had been substituted.
The striker did come in for criticism from his own supporters following a on-field bust-up with team-mate Ademola Lookman during the round of 16 win over Mozambique.
Though, the incident appears to be water under the bridge now with Osimhen leading by example against Algeria and he will be hopeful of doing the same in the semi-final meeting with Morocco.
