“Victor Osimhen is a massive loss after the injury he got against Rwanda. He’s one of the best Nigerian players,” said Etafia.
Greg Etafia is confident Nigeria still possesses enough attacking quality to trouble Bafana Bafana, even without the injured Victor Osimhen. The two giants clash in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday night.
Osimhen, who now plies his trade at Galatasaray, limped off in the 35th minute of Nigeria’s last match against Rwanda after a tough challenge from Claude Niyomugabo.
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The setback is a major blow for Nigeria, who cannot afford to slip up against a Bafana side sitting top of Group C with 16 points, six clear of the third-placed West Africans, with just three fixtures left in the campaign.
Etafia, a Moroka Swallows legend and former Super Eagles goalkeeper, insisted the squad still boasts plenty of firepower despite the absence of their talisman.
“Victor Osimhen is a massive loss after the injury he got against Rwanda. He’s one of the best Nigerian players and apart from Osimhen, we have Christantus Uche,” said Etafia on Radio 2000.
“We have eight players that went to the Premier League in this window. You have Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze and you have Uche. You also have the likes of Ademola Lookman who hasn’t played a lot of club football but at the national team, the coach trusts him.
“There’s still a lot of firepower with the likes of Alex Iwobi, so there’s goals in this team but the biggest thing would be about defending on both sides. Both teams can create chances and score with their eyes closed but defending will be very important for both teams.”
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Bafana and Nigeria played to a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture. On that occasion, Themba Zwane gave South Africa the lead in the first half but Fisayo Dele-Bashiru equalised shortly after the break to rescue a point for Nigeria.