Ghana vs Nigeria: Four key players Super Eagles will miss against Black Stars

Nigeria will take on Ghana in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup playoff in Kumasi on Friday.

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, had named a 32-man squad for the double header, including seven players on standby.

However, a few of the players will not be available for the game, either due to injury or illness.

First-choice goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, is the most recent withdrawal from the squad. The Sparta Rotterdam stopper tested positive for COVID-19 a day before his flight.

Okoye has since been replaced by Enyimba’s John Noble.

Midfield anchor, Wilfred Ndidi, sustained a medial ligament injury in the 60th minute of Leicester City’s 2-1 defeat at Rennes last Thursday, effectively ruling him out of the matches against Ghana.

Everton forward, Alex Iwobi, was not included in Eguavoen’s squad. This is because of the red card he received during the 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Iwobi will now serve a two-match suspension, making him unavailable for both legs.

Tyronne Ebuehi is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an injury in Venezia’s 1-1 draw against Genoa last month.