Victor Osimhen: Why Bafana Bafana Shouldn’t Underrate Super Eagles Despite Major Setback

• South Africa will be hosting the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the return leg of their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday
• Bafana Bafana suffered a major setback ahead of the match with Nigeria, also having their best player ruled out of the tie
• A sports journalist, while chatting with Briefly News, explains why Bafana Bafana shouldn’t underrate the Super Eagles

South Africa is set to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their next 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Hugo Broos’ men took a huge step in securing a place in the top football competition next year by beating Lesotho 3-0 in their last match, but they need to avoid defeat against the Super Eagles to extend their dominance in Group C.

Ahead of the clash with Nigeria, Bafana Bafana suffered a huge setback when Mobbie sustained a severe injury during the match against Lesotho and was ably replaced by a Kaizer Chiefs defender.

The Super Eagles have suffered the same setback as their star player, Victor Osimhen, has been ruled out of the tie against Bafana Bafana.

A sports journalist has shared why Eric Chelle’s side shouldn’t be underrated even with the star man out of the contest.

Why Super Eagles shouldn’t be underrated even with Osimhen out

Nigerian sports journalist Michael Afolayan, in an exclusive interview with Briefly News, has opened up on how Nigeria would be affected by the news of Osimhen’s injury.

“It’s so unfortunate that we won’t have Victor Osimhen against Bafana Bafana on Tuesday, you see how the team struggled when he was substituted,” he said.

“Osimhen has been the Super Eagles’ best player since Chelle arrived, but the Malian coach would have to find a solution now that his best player won’t be available for the biggest game.

“I expect Cyril Dessers to start in Osimhen’s place, and he’s not a bad striker either.”

Afolayan went on to warn Bafana Bafana not to underrate Nigeria despite Osimhen being ruled out of the game.

“Osimhen might not be available, but the Super Eagles still have other players who can hurt Bafana Bafana,” he added.

“I am sure Broos is more experienced to consider Osimhen’s absence, giving him less work; it means more work for him because he would have to throw his options wide on who Chelle might be going for to spearhead the attack.”

South Africa is hoping to qualify for their first World Cup since 2010, while Nigeria missed out on the last edition after losing to Ghana in the playoffs.

Favourite to win the South Africa vs Nigeria clash

Briefly News also reported that a Nigerian sports journalist has named the favourite to win the Bafana Bafana vs Super Eagles clash in their upcoming World Cup qualifier.

The match is expected to be a close encounter, but one of the teams has been predicted to be the favourite to win the tie.

Source: Briefly News