Libya are celebrating injuries to Victor Osimhen and Olisa Ndah, believing the absence of the duo will give them the upper hand during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group D double header against Nigeria slated for October 11 and 15, respectively.
According to multiple sources, Libyans opine the absence of both players will allow room for a supportive result to rekindle their qualification for the finals in Morocco next year.
Libya News 24 accentuated this thought in a report on Friday, which partly read, “Osimhen’s absence could represent a golden opportunity to turn the balance of power in its favor.”
If the Libyan technical staff can exploit this absence, the match could be an opportunity to restore self-confidence and enhance the chances of qualifying.
“In addition to Osimhen’s injury, Orlando Pirates defender Olisa Ndah will also miss the two Libya matches due to injury. Ndah, who is considered one of the pillars of the Nigerian national team’s defence, played a decisive role in the recent match against Benin, as he helped keep his team’s goal clean. His absence represents a defensive gap that the Libyan team may exploit to increase pressure on Nigeria’s weak defence.”
Meanwhile, according to Al Wasat Gate, the Libyan government, through the Ministry of Sports, is prioritising the clashes with Nigeria and has concluded arrangements to fly the team to Uyo in a private jet and also bankroll their camping exercises in Tripoli
“The Ministry of Sports announced that it will bear the expenses of the Libyan national football team in its transportation by private plane to Nigeria to face its national team in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which will be hosted by Morocco next year. The Ministry of Sports said that it will also bear the expenses of the Libyan national team’s internal camp in Tripoli, as well as the expenses of accommodation and transportation for the second leg match against the Nigerian national team in Benghazi,” the Libyan outlet stated in its Friday’s edition.
According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the Mediterranean Knights are expected to travel to Nigeria on Sunday from Tripoli, the country’s capital city, where they have been holding daily training sessions, preparatory to Friday’s first leg at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Their new coach, Nasser Al-Hadhiri, his assistant Akram Al-Hammami, and Abu Bakr Al-Hark have called up three players as replacements for key absentees. They are Al-Tahadi defender Mohammed Khalil, Al-Nasr midfielder Abdullah Abdul Rahim, and Al-Akhdar winger Faraj Ghaidhan.
While Libya opened camp since Monday, Nigeria have yet to release the list of players for the double header, let alone call players to camp.
However, the Super Eagles have the group’s bragging rights heading to the duels, being top of the pile with four points from a win over Benin Republic and a draw against Rwanda in Kigali. Libya are rock bottom with one point from opening day’s 1-1 home draw against Rwanda and were edged 2-1 by Benin Republic in their second game in Ivory Coast.
Benin and Rwanda, on three and two points in second and third positions, respectively, will face off in another double header, with the first and second legs also scheduled for October 11 and 15 at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, and Stade Amahoro, Kigali, respectively.
