It’s another huge week of European football, with several Nigerian stars preparing to take centre stage in the Champions League and Europa League.
Here’s your guide to every Nigerian player involved in European action this week, including fixtures, kick-off times and those expected to miss out through injury.
All kick-off times are in West African Time (WAT).
Champions League – Tuesday 13 October
Victor Osimhen – Galatasaray vs Barcelona (20:00 WAT)
Victor Osimhen is back in contention at exactly the right time for Galatasaray, who desperately need a result after losing their opening Champions League fixture.
The Turkish champions face a Barcelona side that began their European campaign with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Feyenoord and followed that up by beating Getafe 3-0 in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona are unbeaten in the league, but Hansi Flick has injury concerns, with Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong among those unavailable for the trip to Istanbul.
Osimhen’s return gives Galatasaray a much-needed focal point in attack, particularly with Barcelona likely to dominate possession. The Nigerian could be central to their hopes of exploiting space behind the visitors’ defence.
Ademola Lookman – Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United (20:00 WAT)
Ademola Lookman’s Atlético Madrid are in excellent form heading into their meeting with Manchester United, having won four consecutive La Liga matches.
Diego Simeone’s side sit second in Spain after a 2-1 victory over Alavés at the weekend, while United arrive in Madrid following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Tottenham.
Michael Carrick’s side have collected just six points from their opening six Premier League matches and are without a league victory in four games.
With the Spanish side in good form and United struggling, this looks like an excellent opportunity for Atlético to strengthen their Champions League position.
Christian Nwachukwu – Sabah vs Slavia Prague (17:45 WAT)
Christian Nwachukwu faces an unusual Champions League fixture, with his Sabah side taking on a Slavia Prague squad containing four fellow Nigerians.
Including qualifiers, the 20-year-old attacker has already featured in four European matches this season, scoring once, and has a stronger case for involvement than several of his compatriots on the opposing side.
Sabah will be looking to make home advantage count in Azerbaijan, with Nwachukwu among the attacking options available to manager Valdas Dambrauskas.
Mubarak Suleiman, Emmanuel Ayaosi, David Moses and Samuel Isife – Slavia Prague at Sabah (17:45 WAT)
Slavia Prague have four Nigerians registered in their Champions League squad, making their trip to Azerbaijan particularly interesting.
However, there are differences in how much European football each has played.
Samuel Isife and Emmanuel Ayaosi have both appeared in the Champions League this season, while Mubarak Suleiman and David Moses are still waiting for their first minutes in the competition.
That means it would be a surprise to see all four involved from the start, with Suleiman and Moses especially likely to be hoping for an opportunity from the bench.
Slavia’s meeting with Sabah offers another chance for their Nigerian contingent to gain experience at Europe’s highest club level, but supporters should keep an eye on the confirmed line-up before kick-off.
Europa League – Thursday 15 October
Samuel Chukwueze – Salzburg vs AC Milan (17:45 WAT)
AC Milan head to Austria needing a response after a disappointing start to their Europa League campaign.
The Italian giants were beaten 2-0 at home by Benfica in their opening fixture, leaving them under pressure to collect points against Salzburg.
Chukwueze will be hoping to earn a place in Milan’s attacking plans, although a starting role is far from guaranteed.
Salzburg, meanwhile, began their campaign with a 1-0 away victory over Levski Sofia, meaning Milan face opponents already carrying some European momentum.
It’s a potentially important night for Chukwueze and a Milan side who cannot afford another disappointing result.
Wilfred Ndidi – Hoffenheim vs Besiktas (20:00 WAT)
Wilfred Ndidi’s Besiktas enjoyed one of the most impressive results of the opening Europa League matchday, thrashing Marseille 4-1 in Istanbul.
The Turkish side now travel to Germany to face Hoffenheim, who suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat away to OFI Crete in their first match.
That leaves the two teams approaching this fixture from very different positions.
For Ndidi, the challenge will be helping Be?ikta? maintain their strong start away from home, particularly against opponents who will be desperate to avoid consecutive European defeats.
Another victory would put Be?ikta? in an excellent early position in the league phase.
Tochukwu Nnadi – Marseille vs Olympiacos (20:00 WAT)
Marseille have plenty to prove when they host Olympiacos after being comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Besiktas in their Europa League opener.
The French side will be determined to avoid another setback, but Olympiacos arrive having beaten Jagiellonia 2-1 in their first match.
For Nigerian midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi, the big question is whether he can secure minutes in what promises to be an important fixture for Marseille.
Conference League – Thursday 15 October
Paul Onuachu – KuPS Kuopio vs Trabzonspor (17:45 WAT)
Paul Onuachu is another big Nigerian name involved in European action this week as Trabzonspor travel to Finland to face KuPS Kuopio.
Stanley Iheanacho – Egnatia vs Midtjylland (17:45 WAT)
Young Nigerian forward Stanley Iheanacho is also among the players to watch as Danish side Midtjylland travel to Albania to face Egnatia.
Nigerians Expected to Miss Out Through Injury
Moses Usor – LASK vs Liverpool (Wednesday 14 October, 17:45 WAT)
Moses Usor is expected to miss LASK’s Champions League meeting with Liverpool due to a shoulder injury.
Zaidu Sanusi – Real Betis vs Porto (Wednesday 14 October, 20:00 WAT)
Zaidu Sanusi is also a major doubt for Porto’s trip to Real Betis.
The Nigerian left-back has been recovering from an adductor injury and has only recently returned to limited team training.
Who Will Be Nigeria’s Star of the Week?
Osimhen’s meeting with Barcelona and Lookman’s clash against Manchester United are undoubtedly the headline fixtures, but there are several other intriguing Nigerian stories across Europe.
Can Galatasaray bounce back against Barcelona? Will Ndidi help Besiktas maintain their impressive Europa League start? And how many of Slavia Prague’s four Nigerians will feature against Sabah?
For all the latest Champions League and Europa League odds, head to Bet9ja.
