With Napoli striker and reigning CAF African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen out of Nigeria’s squad due to injury, Bafana Bafana will have another dangerman to worry about in Bayer Leverkusen talisman Victor Boniface come Friday night.
Bafana and the Super Eagles will rekindle their rivalry when they bust heads in their Group C 2026 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers encounter at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, in Uyo, Nigeria.
The two nations will be meeting again four months after their pulsating Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) semi-final clash in Ivory Coast, where the Nigerians claimed the bragging rights with a 4-2 win on penalties.
With both teams geared up and having already assembled their final 23-man squads.
The 23-year-old Boniface took the German Bundesliga by storm in his debut season, where he found the back of the net 21 times in all competitions, despite being out of action for three months due to injury.
His coach Xabi Alonso said in an interview with the -Nigerian publication The Cable: “I am happy with Boni. His impact this season has helped us so much. We are helping him, too, to get back on track. Tell people from Nigeria that we are happy with him.”
His exploits in the season that just ended helped Leverkusen complete a historic league -triumph unbeaten and win the German Cup.
“Not bad for my first season,” the Nigerian international remarked on his X account posing with his medals.
Xabi Alonso’s side almost completed an unprecedented “invincible” treble, but their unbeaten streak came to an end in the Uefa Europa League final against Atalanta, where Boniface’s compatriot Ademola Lookman stole the show with his sensational hat-trick.
Lookman will also be another player Bafana have to look out for, as the speedy forward will be high on confidence and hope to spearhead the offensive threat alongside Boniface.
For Broos and his Bafana squad, getting a result away from home will prove to be vital, as the Belgian tactician is desperate to pick up from where they left off at the Afcon and
ultimately put Bafana back on the world map by securing qualification to the stage of national team football for the first time since 2002.
“We’ve had much progress in the last two years, and the results are there, now we want more. When you’re a sportsman, you want more. So, we want to go to the World Cup,” Broos said.
Broos also commended the SA Football Association for organizing a chartered flight to Nigeria, an arrangement that the 72-year-old believes will play a role in how they play.
“So, this time around we will travel straight to Lagos, and I am very happy that we could achieve that,” Broos added.
South Africa and Nigeria sit on number two and three, respectively, in their group with only one point separating them. Bafana has three points, while the Nigerians are right on their heels with two points after two matches played.
Bafana won their opening match against Benin and were shell-shocked by Rwanda, who beat them in the second group match.
The Super Eagles have not registered a win so far. They were held to two 1-1 draws by -underdogs Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
