September 15, (THEWILL) – A crunch UEFA Europa League opening game awaits a trio of Super Eagles stars on Thursday when Leicester City welcome Napoli to the King Power Stadium for their first Group C encounter.
Ahead of the fixture, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and two teammates, goalkeeper David Ospina and centre-back Amir Rrahmani, were cleared for the clash, after initially being big doubts because they were deemed to have travelled to countries red-listed by the United Kingdom in the last 10 days.
The Nigerian striker was in the weakened Super Eagles’ squad that came from a goal down to beat the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde 2-1, where he scored the equaliser, in the matchday two Group C qualifier for the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena in Mindelo, Cape Verde on September 7.
Because it has been only eight days since Osimhen returned from the Cape Verde clash the mandatory requirement of a 10-day gap before entry into the UK could have ruled him out but for the intervention of UEFA, which reached an agreement with the UK to allow the players enter the country without the need to quarantine.
Although still recovering from muscle cramps from Napoli’s 2-1 win over Juventus at the weekend, Osimhen was included in the 21-player strong squad that traveled to England on Wednesday and will be assessed again before the clash. The 22-year-old will hope to open his account for the season against Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi’s Leicester.
In that attempt he will come against the strength of Ndidi, who has demonstrated the willingness to break attacks from advancing beyond the Leicester midfield while remaining a constant threat with the long-range effort. And, if Iheanacho gets the greenlight to start, there is a double-threat from the Nigerian Leicester duo.
But, their defence will need to be wary of a hungry Osimhen, intent on repaying the consistent confidence reposed in his abilities by Napoli Manager Luciano Spalletti since Spalletti took over coaching the side in the summer from Gennaro Gattuso, who brought Osimhen to Italy.
Should the Foxes manager, Brendan Rodgers, allow for spaces to exploit in the back with his formation for the UEL on Thursday, he will have created the perfect loophole for a wily forward like Osimhen to create opportunities for himself and Napoli.
Spalletti will be counting on that while making sure to keep Iheanacho marked out. As a marksman, Iheanacho has shown the capacity to get goals from the toughest corners and with either foot, making it harder for his markers to completely cut him off with ease.
Except Rodgers attempts another combination of Jamie Vardy with James Maddison, then there will be space for Iheanacho to start and give the Foxes the kinds of chances to bring about goals to open their European account with the assurance of victory.
The match at the King Power Stadium will kick off at 8.00pm local time and will generate a lot of debate in the Nigerian sports community due to the interests of the Super Eagles players involved and the loyalty of most Nigerian football fans to the English Premier League clubs.
Yet, the question remains, which of the Nigerian strikers will carry the day for their different sides? And, will Ndidi have a say either way?
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
