The head coach of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, has left Victor Osimhen and Ademola out of his squad for play Ghana in the Unity Cup.
This was confirmed after the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, released the list of invited players on Wednesday afternoon.
Osimhen and Lookman will also miss Nigeria’s games against Russia.
However, there is a return for goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, Frank Onyeka, Kelechi Iheanacho and captain Ahmed Musa.
The list of the invited players, which was released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday, will see Junior Harrison Nduka, captain of the CHAN-bound Super Eagles B and of champions Remo Stars, seek a slot in the defence that also has Semi Ajayi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Igoh Ogbu and fellow home-boys Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Sodiq Ismaila and Waliu Ojetoye, while Papa Daniel Mustapha, Saviour Isaac and Collins Ugwueze will have to contend with Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Chrisantus Uche in midfield.
At the fore, Ahmed Musa, Adamu Abubakar and Sikiru Alimi are up against Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Cyriel Dessers, Nathan Tella, Tolu Arokodare and Kelechi Iheanacho.
The Unity Cup Tournament, involving Nigeria, Jamaica, Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago, will be staged at the 17,250-capacity Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London. The tournament will kick off with the first semi-final on Tuesday, May 27, as Trinidad & Tobago tackle Jamaica in the first-ever ‘Trini-Jam’ on UK soil. The following day, three-time African champions Nigeria will take on four-time African champions Ghana in the second semi-final, which will come with all the intrigues and variables of a 74-year rivalry between the two continental giants.
All four teams will return on Saturday, May 31, for the grand finale, with the losers of the semi-final fixtures featuring in the third-place game, before the Final to determine The Unity Cup 2025 champions.
Meanwhile, for the friendly with Russia’s senior men team at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow on Friday, June 6, Chelle has picked a total of 21 players, with captain William Ekong, fellow defenders Olaoluwa Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar joining a number of picks from the Unity Cup cohort.
