Tolu Arokodare and Christantus Uche could make their club debuts for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace, respectively, in the English Premier League (EPL) this weekend. Samuel Chukwueze could also make a first appearance for Fulham.
The trio joined their respective EPL clubs on deadline day. Arokodare signed for £24 million while Uche joined Palace for an undisclosed fee. All three made substitute appearances for Nigeria during the international break, with Arokodare firing Nigeria to victory over Rwanda.
Arokodare has been pictured with his new teammates in training. The 24-year-old could be the catalyst for Wolves to claim their first points of the season when they visit Newcastle United.
Uche, expected to take his game to the next level at Palace, could feature from the bench for the unbeaten side in front of the home fans against Sunderland. The former Getafe midfielder had his first training with the club on Thursday, and could help the Eagles remain unbeaten in their match against Sunderland on Saturday.
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Chukwueze will also hope to get some minutes alongside Fulham’s Nigerian contingent of Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, who scored for Nigeria against South Africa, with the established duo expected to aid Chukwueze’s swift integration at the London club.
Elsewhere in Europe, Victor Boniface is expected to make his Werder Bremen debut against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. Nathan Tella, his former teammate, should feature for Bayer Leverkusen, which hired another coach following the sacking of Erik ten Hag after three matches.
Injured Victor Osimhen is set to sit out this weekend, but Wilfred Ndidi should fly the Nigeria flag highest in the Turkish SuperLig as Besiktas face Basaksehir.
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Zaidu Sanusi is expected to continue his good form for FC Porto against CD Nacional in Portugal, as Benjamin Fredricks, the latest addition to the Eagles, will hope to replicate his performance for Nigeria with his club, FCV Dender, to halt a four-match losing streak.
Selected fixtures to watch Nigerian players this weekend:
- Bayer Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt Nathan Tella (Leverkusen)
- Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest Taiwo Awoniyi (Forest; Ola Aina injured)
- Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton)
- Brentford vs Chelsea Frank Onyeka (Brentford)
- FCV Dender vs Union St. Gilloise Benjamin Fredricks (Dender)
- La Louviere vs Club Brugge Ralph Onyedika (Club Brugge)
- Olympiakos vs Panserraikos Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos)
- FC Porto vs CD Nacional Zaidu Sanusi (Porto)
- Besiktas vs Basaksehir Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas)
- Borussia Monchengladbach vs Werder Bremen Victor Boniface (Bremen)
- Fulham vs Leeds Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham)
