Super Eagles midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi returns to Eric Chelle’s squad for the Tanzania double-header after five starts in seven games for Olympique Marseille since coming back from a knee injury.
The 22-year-old was left out of the September squad while recovering from injury, according to Afrik-Foot. Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1 and then lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in that window, and Chelle’s 24-man list for the November games, named on 7 November, brings Nnadi back into the picture. Soccernet’s full squad breakdown has the rest of the list.
Nigeria host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday 13 November, with the return leg on 17 November.
Nnadi’s numbers since his return
Marseille signed Nnadi from Zulte Waregem for €6m, and he started the season largely on the bench. Since returning from the knee problem in October he has made seven appearances in Ligue 1 and the Europa League, five of them starts, for 466 minutes.
He has one assist, for Amine Harit in the 5-2 win over Angers on 18 October, and has completed 264 of 286 passes, a 92.2% success rate. Against Lens last Sunday he completed 53 of 54 passes and won six fouls. He played the full 90 minutes in the 4-3 win over Le Havre and 87 minutes in the 2-0 win at Toulouse on 1 November.
Analysis: Why Nnadi’s profile suits Chelle’s midfield
Chelle’s midfield list includes Nnadi, Samson Tijani, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Mubarak Suleiman. Nnadi’s case rests on minutes at a Ligue 1 club, and the numbers above show a player used mainly for winning the ball and keeping possession simple.
If Chelle wants a ball-winner in Uyo, Nnadi’s recent starts give him a strong argument. Soccernet’s look at Tanzania’s early arrival in Uyo shows how much the first leg matters in Group L, and the midfield pairing is one of the few selection questions still open.
Whether he starts on Friday or comes off the bench, the Uyo game is his first chance to turn club form into a Nigeria place.
