The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire where they are scheduled to play their semi final match against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Super Eagles of Nigeria arrived in Bouaké without star striker Victor Osimhen, who is said to be down with a stomach upset.
According to a statement posted on the X (formerly Twitter) account of the Super Eagles, the Napoli forward is being assisted by the team medics.
The statement reads: “Members of the team travelled from Abidjan to Bouaké today via a 10pm Air Cote D’Ivoire flight.
“Osimhen did not however make the trip as a result of abdominal discomfort.
“Team medics confirmed that he has been placed under close watch with a member of the medical team staying behind in Abidjan with him.
“If cleared by tomorrow morning, he will join the rest of the squad before 5 pm”.
TNG reports the semi final fixture against South Africa saw the Super Eagles leaving Abidjan for the first time since the commencement of the 2023 AFCON.
The Nigerian team played all its group matches, Round of 16 and quarter-final matches in Abidjan.
In continuation of preparation for the epic clash, the team on Sunday trained at their usual Ecole Nationale de la Police playing turf, Abidjan.
Jose Peseiro, the team’s gaffer in company of a player will have the official pre-match news conference on Tuesday by 11am (Nigerian time) in Bouake.
The team will subsequently have their first training session behind closed doors later in the day.
Recall that when Cote d’Ivoire hosted their only previous AFCON in 1984, Nigeria also played their semi-final match in the city of Bouake against Egypt, winning 8-7 on penalties, after a pulsating 2-2 draw.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will on Wednesday lock horns with perennial rivals Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake.
The match will be a repeat of the 2000 AFCON semi-finals in Lagos, which saw Nigeria defeat South Africa 2-0.
Also in the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, Nigeria again showed superiority by eliminating the Bafana Bafana 2-1 in the quarter-final stage.