Nigeria seeks winning start against Madagascar in AFCON 2027 qualifier

Nigeria and Madagascar are scheduled to begin their Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying campaigns when they meet at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, September 25.

The match is scheduled to start at 5pm local time, or 16:00 GMT, with Nigeria coach Eric Chelle urging his side to establish its intent immediately.

“We have to show everyone from day one that we want it, and the only way to do that is to go for it with our hearts, and refuse to slow down at any point,” Chelle told reporters before the match.

He added: “We must go for the points without any hesitation.”

Squad concerns for Nigeria

Nigeria will be without Victor Osimhen, who is unavailable because of a muscle injury. Taiwo Awoniyi has been recalled, while Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams are reported as likely starters.

Defender Zaidu Sanusi is also injured. Ola Aina may replace him at left-back, although the starting lineup has not been officially confirmed.

The Super Eagles will be strong favourites in the fixture after reaching the semifinals of the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. However, Nigeria has also failed to qualify for successive World Cups.

After hosting Madagascar, Nigeria is scheduled to travel to Guinea-Bissau for its next qualifying match on Tuesday.

Madagascar recalls previous upset

Madagascar will try to reproduce its performance from the teams’ most recent meeting at AFCON 2019, when it won 2-0. Lalaina Nomenjanahary scored in the 13th minute before Carolus Andriamahitsinoro added the second goal in the 53rd minute.

That result helped Madagascar finish unbeaten ahead of Nigeria and Guinea in Group B at the 2019 tournament. Madagascar made its AFCON debut in that edition, reached the quarterfinals and has not returned to the competition since.

The two countries have met five times. Nigeria has won three encounters, Madagascar has won one, and one match ended in a draw. Their previous meetings also include a 0-0 result in 2000, a 1-0 Nigeria victory in Benin City in 2001, and 2-0 Nigerian wins in Calabar in 2010 and at home in 2011.

Madagascar has reported no injuries ahead of the match and has called up striker Roman Ferber for the first time.

Goalkeeper invitation withdrawn

Madagascar withdrew an invitation to former France under-21 goalkeeper Zacharie Boucher after earlier comments about potentially playing for Madagascar resurfaced and caused outrage, according to the source report.

Boucher said in comments quoted by Ouest-France in 2018 that he was French and had never been Malagasy. He also said he would not play for any national team other than France.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027. It will be the tournament’s 36th edition, with 10 venues planned across the three host countries.