By Daily Sports Nigeria on November 15, 2023

As Nigeria prepare for their opening games of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe on November 16 and 19 respectively, there are some Eagles stars who could make landmark appearances with one or two appearances in the first two games of the qualifying series.
PUNCH Sport Extra’s PETER AKINBO takes a look at these players who stand a chance of making record appearances in the green and white jersey of the Super Eagles

Moses Simon

Simon debuted for the Super Eagles on March 25, 2015, in an international friendly against Uganda. Over his 58 appearances, he has scored a total of nine goals and provided teb assists for Nigeria.

Simon’s recent club performances have been impressive, showing consistency and impactful contributions with eight goal contributions in 12 Ligue 1 games scoring thrice and providing five assists for his teammates in Nantes sitting joint-highest on the assists list.

Ajayi has made 24 appearances for the Super Eagles since he made his debut on September 11, 2018, in an AFCON qualifiers game against Seychelles. An appearance in either of the games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe would take him to 25 appearances in total for Nigeria.

Ajayi has scored two goals and assisted once while playing for West Bromwich Albion this season in the English Championship. Known for his defensive prowess and versatility, Ajayi has showcased solid performances for his club lately.

His recent form indicates he could be a crucial player for Nigeria in the upcoming matches after they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2022 at Qatar.

Francis Uzoho

Uzoho made his first cap for the Super Eagles on November 14, 2017, in a 4-2 friendly win against Argentina. Since then, he has gone on to make 29 appearances for the Eagles and has not been as impressive as he was on his debut.

Since that first game, Uzoho has conceded 22 goals in 14 friendly games, keeping only two clean sheets, while overall, the Omonia Nicosia keeper has only 12 clean sheets from 29 games, conceding a total of 33 goals.

His erratic display and repeated howlers in goal for both games call for concern in the World Cup qualifiers and also ahead of the AFCON in January. His one appearance for club side Omonoia Nicosia has done nothing to allay those fears.

Uzoho is still regarded as the number one choice by Jose Peseiro so playing in one of the games would give him his 30th Super Eagles appearance.

Joe Aribo

Aribo made a scoring debut for the Super Eagles on September 10, 2019, in 2-2 friendly draw against Ukraine. The midfielder also got on the scoresheet in the second game as well against Brazil scoring the only goal for Nigeria in the 1-1 draw.

Despite making a brilliant start to his Eagles career with two goals in his first two games for Nigeria and playing the full 90 minutes in the first three, Aribo has not looked like the player many predicted he would become after taking up the No.10 jersey in 2019.

In his 23 appearances, Aribo has scored two goals and provided two assists for Nigeria. Aribo’s form has also suffered at Southampton with no goal contributions made for the Championship club in 11 appearances.

The 27-year-old would need to appear in both opening qualifier games to take his total games for the Eagles to 25.

Sadiq Umar

Umar earned his first cap for the Super Eagles on January 11, 2022, in a group stage game against Egypt at the delated 2021 AFCON in Cameroon.

His current form for his club has been less than impressive as the striker now mainly starts from the bench at Real Sociedad since his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Umar is yet to score after 12 appearances so far this term providing one assist in 307 minutes of action across all competitions.

He failed to justify his Eagles recall with a poor display against Mozambique in last month’s friendly in Portugal where he missed a sitter in the encounter after coming on for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru just after the hour mark.

Many Nigerians where shocked to see him picked by coach Jose Peseiro ahead of Montpellier striker Akor Adams for the Eagles 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

With nine appearances under his belt, Umar will make it ten games played for the Eagles if he can manage one appearance during this international window and he will also be keen to add to his one goal tally.

Ademola Lookman

Another player looking to make his 10th Super Eagles appearance during this international window is Atalanta striker, Ademola Lookman.

Lookman made his debut for the Super Eagles on March 25, 2022 in a W’Cup qualifier game against Ghana which Nigeria went on to lose on away goals which led to their absence at the Mundial in Qatar.

In his 8 appearances, Lookman has scored two goals and provided two assists for Nigeria.

While showing glimpses of skill and creativity for his club with three goals and two assists in 12 Serie A games, Lookman enters the qualifiers with the potential to make meaningful contributions.

Playing in both games for the Eagles would take the 26-year-old to 10 total appearances for the Nigeria national team.

Nathan Tella

Nathan Tella is yet to make his debut for the Super Eagles and is eyeing his first cap in the upcoming matches. As a newcomer, Tella brings anticipation and eagerness to prove himself on the international stage, potentially adding a fresh dimension to the team.

Source Punch Ng

Posted November 15, 2023

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