Olympic Eagles coach Éric Chelle has drafted Nasarawa United forward Prince Bawa Oche into his squad for the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifiers after Suleiman Sani suffered an injury.
Saudi club Al-Qudsiah FC notified the Nigeria Football Federation that Sani would be unavailable for the second-round encounter against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Oche’s late inclusion takes the number of home-based players in the squad to eight.
The locally based players are expected to leave Nigeria on Tuesday for DR Congo, where they will link up with 15 invited foreign-based professionals.
The first leg will take place at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, while the return fixture is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne.
The winner over the two legs will advance to the final qualifying round, where they will face either Sierra Leone or Burkina Faso.
