The third and final International break of 2023 is set to commence over the next two weeks and with a majority of sides competing in either their opening World Cup or final European Championship qualification games, it could prove to be a vital few weeks.
For Nigeria, their two games in the next week will not only be their opening World Cup qualification games but they will also be their final outings before taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year.
With it being so important that Nigeria win these two games as they go into the competition, they’ll be needing their stars to perform to the best of their abilities. And so we’ve looked at how some of the Nigerian stars around the world have performed for their club sides so far:
Taiwo Awoniyi
Awoniyi came into the season having scored six goals in the final four league games of the previous season, and the striker carried this form into the opening three games of this season as he scored three in the first three games. However, the striker has hit a bit of a dry patch in recent weeks with it taking him up until this weekend’s game against West Ham in matchday 12 to score his fourth of the season. The striker will be hoping this goal can push him back into form as he enters the international break with the Nigeria squad.
Victor Boniface
Another player who has had a slight downturn in form since the beginning of the season is Victor Boniface. After scoring eight in his first seven games, Boniface has only scored three times in the following nine games. However, he has assisted three in this time and played a huge part in helping Bayer Leverkusen to winning all their games bar one, with this being a draw to Bayern Munich, so far this season.
Moses Simon
Moses Simon had his worst season for Nantes last season with the forward contributing to just nine goals as his side avoided relegation by just one point. This season has been much better already for Simon though, with the Nigerian scoring three and assisting four goals in just 12 games so far this season. While the amount of clubs have decreased from 20 teams to 18 this season, Simon will still be hoping that he can beat his record contributions of 14 in a season for Nantes and the forward is certainly on track to just that.
Wilfred Ndidi
After Leicester City were relegated last season, many people expected that Wilfred Ndidi would be one of the first to leave the club to go back to a European top flight. However, the defensive midfielder stuck with his side and his excellent performances so far have earned him links to FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in recent weeks.
Ndidi has been his usual fantastic self in defensive areas, with him completing 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game while also completing 3.1 ball recoveries. However, the midfielder has also contributed a lot in attacking areas, especially in recent weeks with him assisting three in his last four league appearances and also managing a singular goal in the league.
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