W’Cup qualifiers: Chelle’s defensive choices for Eagles amid injury crisis
From defence to attack, the injury worries for new Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle seem unending ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, NewsNGR Sports Extra reports.
After worrying updates about midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika, the backline has taken some hits too with stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong currently sidelined with a muscular injury while West Bromwich Albion’s Semi Ajayi has also returned to the treatment table.
The 31-year-old Troost-Ekong picked up a muscular injury in the 70th minute during Al Kholood’s match against Al Orobah in the Saudi Pro League on February 14 and has missed two games since then.
Troost-Ekong and Ajayi take the list of sidelined players to four, just as Galatasaray man Victor Osimhen is also said to be expecting the result of a scan.
Although all the cases come with the optimism of recovery before the March 17 and 24 dates for the qualifiers, being sidelined at the moment casts a big doubt on their match fitness and Chelle will not be wrong to look for alternatives.
At the moment, the only fit starters and potential replacements in the Eagles’ defence are Fulham’s Calvin Bassey, France-based Gabriel Osho, Kevin Akpoguma, Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Recently, Chelle moved around the Nigeria Premier Football League venues. If it won’t be too early to follow the mandate of the Nigeria Football Federation which requires the coach to integrate home-based players into the Super Eagles, the Franco-Malian coach might also consider names in the Nigerian topflight to bolster the squad.
So, how can these names make a formidable backline for Nigeria in the two games, if Ekong and Ajayi aren’t fit in time for the games?
Calvin Bassey (Fulham)
Bassey has been the most consistent among Nigerian defenders this season. The 25-year-old has played all but one of the Cottagers’ 27 games, scoring one goal as well.
He also hasn’t missed a game for Nigeria since the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast where he revelled in the three-man defence formation of the Eagles.
Should Troost-Ekong and Ajayi, who were his partners at the AFCON fail to make it, Bassey will need to bring more than his playing abilities to help coordinate the backline in the crucial games.
Gabriel Osho (Auxerre)
After making his debut and playing two games in the last round of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers last November, Osho will fancy his chance of returning to the Super Eagles.
The 26-year-old has played 15 league games for Auxerre in the Ligue 1 this season, scoring one goal as well.
He looks set to form a pairing with Bassey in the absence of Troost-Ekong and Ajayi.
Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)
Aina is another defender whose position in the Eagles is unrivalled. At club level, he has been one of the drivers of Forest’s European ambition, playing 26 games, scoring two goals plus one assist.
However, he might be switched to the left-back position if none of the natural left footers, Zaidu Sanusi and Jamilu Collins find their way into the team as they’ve been inactive at club level for some period.
Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce)
So, if Aina is moved to the left, Osayi-Samuel will be in contention to start in the right-back position having featured there for the Eagles previously.
Kevin Akpoguma (Hoffenheim)
Having last featured for Nigeria in June 2023, this might be the time for Kevin Akpoguma to make a return to the Super Eagles.
The ex-Germany youth international has been capped eight times for Nigeria since making his debut on October 9, 2020, in a 1-0 international friendly defeat to Algeria.
He could fit into the centre-back pairing or even play as a right-back.
