Osimhen out of both Tanzania games after knee surgery, with the Super Eagles squad still unpublished

Victor Osimhen will miss Nigeria’s two AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania this month. Galatasaray said in a statement on Friday 6 November that the striker strained his left knee in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Stuttgart, that scans found a loose body in the joint, and that he would have keyhole surgery on Saturday, according to Complete Sports and Legit.ng. He was taken out of the squad for Galatasaray’s league game against Amed on Saturday. The Super Eagles play Tanzania in Uyo on Friday 13 November and in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday 17 November, both outlets report, and need to win both to stay in the race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

What the club said

Complete Sports quotes the club’s statement: “MRI examinations detected a loose body.” Legit.ng, which reported the same statement at 19:29 WAT on Friday, quotes the club saying “our player Victor Osimhen sustained a strain in his left knee.” Neither outlet gives a return date from the club; Legit.ng’s second piece on Friday night cites an outside estimate of two to four weeks, which is not a club figure and is not repeated here as fact.

Osimhen had played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Stuttgart on Tuesday, as this site reported, and before that had scored the opening goal in a 4-0 win at Konyaspor on 1 November, his ninth league goal in eight appearances, according to Soccernet.ng, which also reported that he handed a penalty to Rafael Leão in that game.

The squad that has not been published

As of 07:15 WAT on Saturday, no squad list for the Tanzania games had been found on the Nigeria Football Federation’s website, which this site could not read on Saturday morning, or on any of the Nigerian outlets it reads. That was also the position on Friday morning, when this site last reported on it. Soccernet.ng wrote on 4 November that the list was with the federation and that “many Europe-based players will join only after their weekend club games”. Tanzania, whose coach Miguel Gamondi named 24 players led by five each from Yanga and Azam, according to Complete Sports, arrive in Uyo on Sunday 8 November, five days before the first game, Soccernet.ng reports.

The group is simple to read. Soccernet.ng’s summary on 1 November has Guinea-Bissau top of Group L on six points, Nigeria on three after a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo and a 0-3 defeat in Guinea-Bissau, and Madagascar and Tanzania on one each. Tanzania qualify for the finals as co-hosts, so only the best of the other three goes through, and Soccernet.ng’s reading is that Nigeria “go into them needing to win both”. The coach is Eric Chelle. No kick-off times for either game were found on an allowed source; Complete Sports’ own fixture ticker shows different dates from its articles, and this piece follows the articles.

The Flamingos’ final

Nigeria’s under-17 women, the Flamingos, play Japan in the final of the U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Saturday 7 November, after beating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final with goals from Queen Joseph after 56 minutes and two from Awawu Bashiru, after 71 and 80, according to Soccernet.ng. No kick-off time was found on an allowed source by Saturday morning.

Nigerians in the Premier League on Saturday

Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi are expected to start for Fulham against Newcastle at Craven Cottage at 16:00 WAT (16:00 CET), Soccernet.ng’s preview says, Bassey at centre-back and Iwobi behind the striker, with no fitness concern reported for either. Soccernet.ng also reported this week that Bassey’s Fulham contract runs to summer 2027 with a club option for a further year and that Manchester United’s interest, first reported by TEAMtalk, has not become a bid. Newcastle are without Joelinton and the suspended Jacob Ramsey, their head coach Matthias Jaissle said on Thursday. This site’s Markets desk has the week’s price move on the game.

Semi Ajayi’s Hull City go to Arsenal, the league leaders, at 16:00 WAT (16:00 CET), without the suspended Matt Crooks. Hull drew 2-2 with Ipswich last weekend, when Tim Iroegbunam scored, Soccernet.ng reported. Taiwo Awoniyi, who moved from Nottingham Forest to Coventry in the summer, scored his first Coventry goal in a 3-1 win over Sunderland on 1 November, the same report says; Coventry lost 3-1 at Everton on Friday night.

On Sunday Ademola Lookman’s Atlético Madrid host Barcelona at 21:00 WAT (21:00 CET), first against second in La Liga; this site’s preview of that game was published on Thursday. Soccernet.ng reported on Thursday that neither Lookman nor Osimhen is on the ten-man shortlist for CAF’s African player of the year, which is decided in Lagos on 7 December.

NPFL

Enugu Rangers are back on top of the NPFL after beating Bendel Insurance 1-0 in a rescheduled game at Awka on Friday, Chidozie Iwundu heading in from a long throw after 47 minutes, Soccernet.ng reports. The same report says the league handed Rivers United a suspended fine of 15 million naira and a suspended deduction of three points and three goals for keeping the broadcast partner out of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for the Rangers game on 1 November; the club’s media director, Charles Mayuku, said Rivers had acted on a league email saying the game was not on the streaming schedule. After matchday 11, Soccernet.ng had Rivers United, Rangers, Bendel Insurance and Kano Pillars level on 18 points before Friday’s result.

Sources

1. AFCON 2027Q: Osimhen ruled out of Super Eagles' double-header against Tanzania, Complete Sports. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
2. Big blow for Nigeria: Osimhen ruled out as Super Eagles prepare for AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania, Legit.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
3. Victor Osimhen: Leão on the penalty at Konyaspor, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
4. Super Eagles news: Tanzania arrive in Uyo five days before kick-off, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
5. Super Eagles v Tanzania: six points and the Group L decider, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
6. Super Eagles face Tanzania in AFCON qualifying double bill, Complete Sports. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
7. AFCON 2027Q: Tanzania coach unveils squad for Super Eagles double-header, Complete Sports. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
8. Flamingos beat Brazil, Bashiru scores twice, Japan next in the U17 World Cup final, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
9. Fulham v Newcastle preview: team news, head to head, Iwobi and Bassey, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
10. Taiwo Awoniyi scores first Coventry goal; Iroegbunam scores for Hull, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
11. CAF Awards: Osimhen and Lookman miss shortlist as Lagos hosts gala, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
12. NPFL: Rangers back on top after beating Bendel Insurance; Rivers United sanctioned, Soccernet.ng. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.
13. Premier League fixtures and availability notes (licensed feed, generated 2026-11-07T05:23Z, in data/latest.json), football-data.org via Match News. Read 07:12 WAT, 7 Nov 2026.

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