Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has been declared fit to participate in the crucial quarter-final clash against the Palancas Negras of Angola.
The eagerly anticipated match is scheduled to take place on Friday at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Nwabali, who sustained a mild ligament injury during the Round of 16 victory against Cameroon, was initially a major doubt for the upcoming quarter-final clash.
After undergoing a personal training session with the medical team on Tuesday, he underwent a scan on Wednesday, and the results revealed that the injury was not as severe as initially feared.
The former Lobi Stars goalkeeper, who has conceded just once in four appearances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, is expected to return to the goal for the Super Eagles on Friday.
However, head coach Jose Peseiro has hinted that he may exercise caution and not risk the goalkeeper if he is not deemed fully fit for the crucial tie.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Senegalese official Issa Sy as the referee for the match.
Sy will be assisted by Djibril Camara and Nouha Bangoura from Senegal as assistant Referee 1 and assistant Referee 2, respectively. The fourth official will be Abdel Aziz Bouh from Mauritania.
Modibo Samake from Mali will serve as the reserve assistant referee. At the same time, Ahmad Nazeer Hossen Bowud from Mauritius and Ali Mohamed Ahmed from Somalia will be commissioner and referee assessor, respectively.
The match will kick off at 5 pm Cote d’Ivoire time (6 pm Nigeria time).