It is official, Victor Osimhen and Umar Sadiq will not play for Nigeria in their international friendly match against Algeria on September 27.
Osimhen is out with a hamstring injury, which will keep him out for four to six weeks. The 23-year-old suffered the injury in Napoli's 4-1 win against Liverpool last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Sadiq is reportedly out for the season after damaging his ACL in Real Sociedad's 2-1 loss to Getafe on Sunday.
The 25-year-old walked off 38 minutes into the game before further tests revealed that the Nigerian would need surgery.
Both Sadiq and Osimhen's miss will be a big blow for Nigeria ahead of their clash against Algeria.
With both players, what are the alternatives available for Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro?
Taiwo Awoniyi
Taiwo Awoniyi has four caps to his name, but he has failed to convince Nigerians that he is the real deal, even though his club performances say otherwise.
Awoniyi led Nigeria's line at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but he never really exerted himself in the absence of Osimhen. Since then, he has never gotten another call-up despite his brilliance for Union Berlin.
However, his move to Nottingham Forest has put him in the eyes of many Nigerians. And with his two rivals out, Awoniyi could get another chance to play for Nigeria again.
Emmanuel Dennis
Like Awoniyi, the jury is still out on Emmanuel Dennis. Dennis also had a great year last season, scoring ten goals and registering six assists in his debut Premier League season. His performance earned him a move to Nottingham Forest.
However, while his club performances were good last year, his displays for Nigeria were disappointing.
The former Club Brugge man was even criticised a couple of times for looking uninterested during games. However, he can win fans' hearts with a strong showing against Algeria.
David Okereke
David Okereke has been knocking on the door for a very long time but has been overlooked. However, with his bright start to the new Italian Serie A season, Okereke may get his first call-up.
Unlike Awoniyi and Dennis, Okereke will offer something different as he can play anywhere up front.
Cyriel Dessers
Dessers was one of Nigeria's best players in Europe last season after finishing as the UEFA Europa Conference League top scorer with ten goals for Feyenoord.
As a result, he was called up for Nigeria's friendly matches against Mexico and Ecuador. However, his performance did not help his cause. He has not started this season well, either, after joining Cremonese this summer.
But should he get an invitation for the match against Algeria, a strong performance could be the catalyst to kick-start his season.
Terem Moffi
Terem Moffi will be itching to get another call-up, and he will likely get one. No Nigerian player has scored more goals than the 23-year-old in Europe's top five leagues this season.
Moffi has scored five league goals for Lorient in the French Ligue 1 this season. After struggling in his second season with the French club, the Nigerian international is finally back to scoring goals.
But while Moffi has a penchant for scoring goals, he is still down the pecking order in the Super Eagles squad. However, with Osimhen and Sadiq out, the former Kortrijk striker could lead the line for the Super Eagles against Algeria.
He is no stranger in the squad, though, as he scored his first set of international goals in Nigeria's 10-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe last June.