Libya coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri is despondent ahead of Friday’s 2025 AFCON qualifying double header against Nigeria, whose first leg holds Friday, October 11 at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
After wildly celebrating the absence of Victor Osimhen and Olisa Ndah due to injury concerns, Libyans and the new team’s handler are losing sleep over stopping the star-studded Super Eagles attack comprising Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta talisman Ademola Lookman.
“The challenge is not only in facing Nigeria, which has world-class attacking names, such as Victor Boniface and Ademola Lookman, but also in facing influential absences among the ranks of the Libyan national team, which may hinder the team’s chances of achieving a positive result in this fateful confrontation,” Libyan outlet Libya Akhbar reported on Sunday.
Speaking in a press conference and cited by Libya News 24, Al-Hadhiri also rued the absence of some key players in their first training sessions in Tripoli, pointing out that the team suffers from a significant lack of physical preparation for the Nigerian trip.
He said, “We have not yet reached the required readiness to face a strong opponent the size of Nigeria. The team suffers from the absence of a number of players in the first training sessions, which led to difficulty in imposing a comprehensive tactical vision for the match. This lack of preparation represents an additional obstacle for the team that needs to exert double efforts to achieve a positive result away from home and return with at least a draw point to renew the hopes of qualification.”
Some of the injured Mediterranean Knights include Ahli Tripoli club defender Ahmed Al-Tarbi, Al-Nasr club’s Mohammed Al-Tabbal, and Ali Youssef, who plies his trade with African Club of Tunisia.
Aside from the injured trio, the team will also be without three players of Al-Ahly Tripoli, who refused to return to represent the national team. They are Hamdou El-Houni, Sand Al-Warfali, and Mohamed Al-Munir, which increases the pressure on the coach, who is trying to manage the crisis of the boycotting players amid widespread public criticism.
Libya are bottom of Group D after mustering one point in two matches, battling Rwanda to a 1-1 draw in their opener and losing 2-1 to Benin Republic in the second game in Ivory Coast.
Libyans expect the team to turn their fortunes around against Nigeria, a mission seemingly impossible to both the coach and the head of the Football Association, Abdulhakim Al-Shalmani, who said, “The team was never in good shape before I arrived,” which sparked widespread criticism, especially since the team has been struggling for many years to achieve satisfactory results on the continental stage.
However, Al-Hadhiri remains somewhat optimistic, as he hopes to achieve a positive result in Uyo, saying, “We realise that winning against Nigeria is difficult, but we seek to return with a draw that will be positive for us and restore our hope in competing for qualification.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria, who top the pile with four points from a win over Benin Republic and a barren draw at Rwanda, will aim to consolidate their position. Interim coach Augustine Eguavoen named his squad on Saturday, with the players expected to site on Monday.
The second leg will be held on October 15 at Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi, Libya.
