Wilfred Ndidi has been ruled out of Nigeria’s AFCON semi-final against Morocco due to a yellow card suspension, while the team also monitors the fitness of injured defender Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Nigeria will be without midfield anchor Wilfred Ndidi for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against Morocco.
Despite a dominant 2–0 victory over Algeria on Saturday, Ndidi received a yellow card in the 67th minute for time-wasting.
As this was his second booking of the knockout phase, the former Leicester City midfielder must serve an automatic one-match suspension, leaving a significant void in the Super Eagles’ starting lineup for Wednesday’s clash in Rabat.
The disciplinary blow was compounded by a late injury concern involving right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel.
The defender was forced to limp off the pitch during stoppage time, prompting coach Eric Chelle to bring on Igoh Ogbu to preserve the clean sheet.
While Frank Onyeka and Calvin Bassey successfully avoided bookings that would have triggered their own suspensions, the team now faces a nervous wait regarding Osayi-Samuel’s fitness ahead of the high-stakes encounter with the host nation.
Tactically, Chelle may look to Raphael Onyedika to fill the gap left by Ndidi, having introduced the substitute during the Algeria match after Ndidi sustained a minor knock.
Nigeria enters the semi-final buoyed by goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams, but the loss of Ndidi’s veteran presence in midfield presents a major hurdle.
The Super Eagles must now regroup as they travel to the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium to fight for a place in the final.