Iwobi To Lead Super Eagles As Nigeria Face Guinea-Bissau In AFCON Battle

Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi was reportedly set to captain the Super Eagles in Nigeria’s second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Iwobi was expected to take over the captain’s armband from Wilfred Ndidi, who led Nigeria during their 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo.

The expected change would have handed Iwobi a greater leadership responsibility as the Super Eagles sought to build on their winning start to the qualifying campaign against a Guinea-Bissau side that also began its campaign with a victory.

Iwobi played a key role in Nigeria’s comeback against Madagascar, providing the assist for George Ilenikhena’s equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Ilenikhena converted the midfielder’s pass before Moses Usor completed Nigeria’s comeback in the 65th minute, only minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Iwobi’s expected elevation to captaincy came as head coach Eric Chelle prepared his team for a challenging away fixture in Bissau. Guinea-Bissau had opened its qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tanzania, with Franculino Djú and Mama Baldé getting on the scoresheet.

The match was scheduled to take place at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro in Bissau at 5pm Nigerian time.

Nigeria were also dealing with the absence of Victor Osimhen, who suffered a right-thigh muscle injury, leading to Taiwo Awoniyi being called up as his replacement.

The Super Eagles entered the encounter looking to secure another victory and strengthen their position in the qualifying race. Nigeria also had positive memories of their previous visit to Bissau, where they recorded a 1-0 victory during the previous AFCON qualifying campaign, with Moses Simon scoring the decisive goal.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the 2027 AFCON as one of the tournament’s co-hosts alongside Kenya and Uganda, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar were left competing for the group’s remaining qualification spot.

A victory for Nigeria would have taken the Super Eagles to six points from their opening two matches and strengthened their position in Group L.