Poland midfielder Nicola Zalewski has acknowledged that Nigeria will remain a strong opponent despite the absence of key forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman ahead of their upcoming friendly clash.
Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle confirmed that both forwards will miss the encounter following the 3-0 win over Jamaica, a result that saw Nigeria retain the Unity Cup in London.
Despite their absence, Zalewski warned Poland to be wary of the Super Eagles, highlighting the strength possessed by the three-time AFCON winners.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Zalewski said he had only recently learned that both Osimhen and Lookman.
"I've only just learned that Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen will not be playing,” Zalewski said.
The Atalanta midfielder highlighted the Super Eagles’ strength, pointing to Nigeria’s physicality and pace as key attributes Poland must be wary of.
“But Nigeria is a very, very good team, strong physically, and very, very fast. We have to watch out for them because it will be a good match," he added.
He also reflected on Poland’s recent outing against Ukraine, noting that while the team created chances, their performance was below expectations
"We played a slightly weaker match against Ukraine, although we created a few chances that we could have converted into goals,” Zalewski concluded.
Lookman will miss the encounter due to personal reasons, while Osimhen will not feature after Galatasaray requested that he should be excused from international duty.
Adeyemi Adewale
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