The Super Eagles maybe in heavy trouble ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final clash with Algeria, with three major players likely to face suspension.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Calvin Bassey are all one booking away from suspension after picking up yellow cards during Nigeria’s emphatic Round of 16 win over Mozambique’s Mambas.
Any further caution against Algeria would rule the affected player out of the semi-final, should Nigeria progress.
The stakes are high, with either Morocco or Cameroon set to face the winner of the quarter-final in the last four.
The highly anticipated tie between Nigeria and Algeria will be played on Saturday at the Marrakech Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
While attention is firmly on the looming clash with the Desert Foxes, the Super Eagles are also drawing confidence from a commanding 4-0 win over Mozambique, a match that carried special significance for central defender Semi Ajayi.
The London-born defender reached a personal landmark during the Round of 16 encounter, celebrating his 50th appearance for the three-time African champions.
Ajayi, a former Nigeria Under-20 international, made his senior debut in September 2018 during an AFCON qualifier against Seychelles, coming on as a late substitute for Chidozie Awaziem.
At the 2025 AFCON, Ajayi has been one of Nigeria’s standout performers. He claimed the Man of the Match award in the opening game against Tanzania and marked that display with his first goal of the tournament.
After sitting out the final group game against Uganda, he returned to the starting line-up as Nigeria recorded their first clean sheet of the competition against Mozambique.
“That’s what we’ve been striving towards. As a defender, we always pride ourselves on clean sheets, so the fact that we were able to get one today was really good,” Ajayi told reporters in the mixed zone after the match.
“There are still things we need to improve on, and luckily the team is improving game by game, so we are looking forward to improving again for the next one.”
Ajayi also spoke about his partnership with fellow defender Calvin Bassey, highlighting the understanding that has developed between them.
He said, “We’ve played a lot of games together. We understand how each other works and we are always pushing each other to be better. We are looking to improve again for the next game.”