Heavyweights led by Osimhen and Partey out of Nigeria/Ghana friendly match

Big names from Nigeria and Ghana will be missing when Nigeria plays Ghana in a friendly game on Friday.

Napoli have confirmed that Victor Osimhen will not be going due to injury.

The striker was only on the bench for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Inter at San Siro and barely trained in the days before the match.

Coach Francesco Calzona confirmed it was due to an inflammation of the scar from an old injury.

It seems as if he has still not fully recovered, because Osimhen is not on the list of players Napoli released on international duty.

Defender Tyronne Ebuehi will miss the match. The 28-year-old, who last featured for the Super Eagles in their 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia last October, suffered a partial tear in his anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee during Empoli’s 1-0 defeat to Bologna on Friday.

Ebuehi joins Taiwo Awoniyi, who has also been ruled out on account of injury.

 Meanwhile, Ghana head coach, Otto Addo, has named a strong squad consisting of Jordan and Andrew Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, and Tariq Lamptey for the match.

Addo, who stepped down following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Ghana finished bottom of Group H with one win from three matches, will face Nigeria in his first game since returning as the Black Stars coach and will hope to get one over their archrivals.

However, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been omitted from the squad at his request as he builds his fitness back up, following a severe thigh injury.

The former Atletico Madrid man spent over four months in the medical bay with the issue, which was described by former Black Stars boss Hughton as the most severe he had ever suffered in his career.