AFCON 2025: Eric Chelle Warned on Why Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman Can’t Play Together
- A former Nigerian international has warned Super Eagles Eric Chelle of the consequences of playing Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman together
- Osimhen and Lookman won the CAF Player of the Year award in 2023 and 2024, respectively, following their explosive performances for country and club
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria will lock horns with the Taifa Stars of Tanzania at Fez Stadium on December 23
Former Super Eagles defender Efe Ambrose has cautioned coach Eric Chelle against fielding Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen and Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman together at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Ademola Lookman missed the last match against Benin Republic due to his second yellow card against Lesotho in the previous match.
Source: Getty Images
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle fielded AC Milan star Samuel Chukwueze in the place of Lookman against the Cheetahs, with the match ending 4-0 in favour of Nigeria. The former Villareal star provided two assists for Osimhen as the game produced the highest goal during the CAF qualification group C.
Victor Osimhen struggled during the World Cup qualifiers and AFCON qualifiers, with the pair of Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon in the wings. Nigeria were able to score four goals again during the World Cup playoffs against the Panthers of Gabon, per ESPN.
Osimhen and Lookman not compatible – Ambrose
Former Celtic defender Efe Ambrose said Nigeria would struggle at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle pairs Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman in the attack.
According to OwnGoal, the 2013 AFCON winner explained that Chelle has to bench either Osimhen and Lookman.
The Glasgow United defender cited another example that the Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen was able to score a brace against Gabon when Eric Chelle substituted the former CAF Player of the Year during extra time. He said:
“This is actually a case of balance. When you have two good players who are looking to be in the box at the same time, it leaves the team unbalanced, porous and also uncoordinated in attack.
Source: Getty Images
"Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen are like Vinicius Jnr and Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid. The Brazilian star and France international do not want to drop deep for the other to be in the box.
“Take a look at the World Cup qualifiers playoff and also see how the team were fluent in attack without Lookman against Benin Republic. Osimhen even scored a brace in that game”, he stated.
Meanwhile, Eric Chelle will announce his final 28-man squad for AFCON 2025 by Thursday, which is the deadline set by the Confederation of African Football, per CAF.
4 players likely to miss AFCON
Legit.ng earlier reported that Super Eagles stars likely to miss AFCON 2025 due to injury after Chippa United coach cast doubt on Stanley Nwabali’s presence.
The coach confirmed that the goalkeeper is suffering from an ankle issue and also a hand injury, which requires surgery, making him a doubt for the tournament.
Source: Legit.ng
