Manager Jose Peceiro has announced his 25-man squad for the African Cup of Nations, with several players aiming to make their debut
Super Eagles coach Jose Peceiro has announced his squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with six of the team’s 25 players playing in their first tournament.
Soccernet.ng introduces six players looking to make a strong impression in Ivory Coast.
Calvin Bassey
The Fulham star has been a regular at Peseiro since the Portuguese tactician took over as Super Eagles coach last year.
Bassey is also an integral part of Fulham’s attack despite only joining in the summer, making 14 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League.
Bassey is expected to become a regular for the Super Eagles once AFCON begins.
Victor Boniface
When the last AFCON was held in 2021, Boniface was still a fringe player for Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt. But over the past two years, he has made a meteoric rise from a player in his league in Belgium to a regular player at his Leverkusen side at Bundesliga rivals Bayer.
Boniface will aim to play a key role in Cameroon as coach Peseiro prefers to use two strikers.
Stanley Nwabili
Nwabili is a last-minute addition and is likely to be Ivory Coast’s first choice over Uzoho. The Chippa United star is a regular at the club and if Nwabili impresses, Uzoho could bid farewell to the first-team shirt.
Olorunleke Ojo
Ojo is the only home player in the 25-man squad. However, unless something special happens, Enyimba’s goalkeeper will be on the bench for the entire tournament.
Bright Osayi-Samuel
Ossai-Samuel is one of the players expected to shine at AFCON. Although he only made his debut last year, he has become accustomed to the African game. The Fenerbahce man offers a lot on both sides of the pitch and is a great rival for Ola Aina.
Bruno Onyemaechi
Onyemeachi is also a new addition to the team. The full-back always impresses when he is on the pitch and will be hoping to make a difference this time around.
However, he will need to work harder with Zaidu Sanusi and Tyrone Ebehi to earn a place in the starting eleven.
Raphael Onyedika
The Club Brugge man is widely seen as Wilfred Ndidi’s successor. Onyedika is very ball-resistant, fast and very hardy.
Of course, Ndidi would be the first choice, but Onyedika could feature on some occasions.
