The Super Eagles will face Portugal on Wednesday without defender Igoh Ogbu, who suffered a suspected left Achilles tendon rupture during a training session.
The Slavia Prague centre-back, 26, was poised to play a key role under head coach Eric Chelle but had to be withdrawn after receiving immediate on-field treatment.
Further scans will determine the full extent of the damage, though team medical staff fear a long-term absence.
Ogbu’s injury compounds Nigeria’s defensive headaches. Chelle is already missing captain Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman (rested after a grueling club season), while Ola Aina was left out due to his own injury layoff.
Portugal’s squad has been reinforced by Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning quartet — Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos — who trained with the national side on Saturday. All four are expected to feature in Leiria.
Nigeria enter the rematch of a 4-0 thrashing from November 2022 (when Bruno Fernandes, Ramos, and João Mário scored, and Emmanuel Dennis missed a penalty) with some momentum, having retained the Unity Cup in London and drawn 2-2 with Poland. But Ogbu’s absence leaves them stretched against a near-full-strength Portugal side tuning up for the World Cup.
Kick-off is set for Wednesday afternoon at the Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa, with Portugal goalkeeper José Sá stressing the game’s importance for their tournament preparations.
