Nigeria have been dealing with injury woes ahead of their bid to end a decade-long wait for Africa Cup of Nations glory.
The Super Eagles may be one of the continent’s superpowers but have consistently underperformed in the AFCON over recent years.
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Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro heads into the tournament under some pressure too, having drawn with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in World Cup qualifying before losing to Guinea in a friendly.
They were also dealt a significant blow on the eve of the tournament, losing Bayer Leverkusen’s in-demand forward Victor Boniface to injury. Wilfred Ndidi and Taiwo Awoniyi are two further absent players, along with Sadiq Umar.
Still, Nigeria are loaded with some huge attacking talent in the form of Napoli star Victor Osimhen, captain Ahmed Musa and AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze, who is only on the bench today.
Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho and towering forward Paul Onuachu are both on the bench against minnows Equatorial Guinea today after missing their team's final training session, due to a recent injury and late arrival to the camp, respectively.
Southampton's Onuachu was drafted into the squad earlier in the week as a replacement for injured Real Sociedad striker Umar.
Nigeria XI: Nwabali, Aina, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Zaidu, Yusuf, Onyeka, Iwobi, Lookman, Simon, Osimhen
Subs: Uzoho, Olorunleke, Bassey, Awaziem, Bruno, Omeruo, Osayi-Samuel, Onyedika, Aribo, Musa, Chukwueze, Iheanaco, Onuachu
Injured: Boniface, Ndidi, Awoniyi, Sadiq
Time and date: 2pm GMT on Sunday January 14, 2024
Venue: Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan
TV channel and live stream: Sky Sports
