Super Eagles Face Fitness Worry Over Nathan Tella Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is closely monitoring the fitness of Bayer Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella ahead of Nigeria’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The concern comes after Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso provided an update on Tella’s muscular injury ahead of their Bundesliga match against Stuttgart on Sunday. Tella, who was included in Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the qualifiers, was an unused substitute in Leverkusen’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
His absence from the starting lineup raised questions, especially considering his strong form for Leverkusen in recent months. Alonso explained that Tella, along with teammate Edmond Tapsoba, was not fit enough to feature in the Champions League game, despite being named in the squad.
“He wasn’t ready to play today,” Alonso said about Tapsoba. “The same applied to Nathan Tella. A lot has happened in one week. It would have been good for both of them if they had been able to play, but they only trained at 50 percent.”
Alonso was also uncertain about whether Tella would be available for Leverkusen’s Bundesliga match against Stuttgart, saying, “We’ll have to see what happens on Sunday.”
If Tella is unable to recover in time for the match, it would be a big loss for Leverkusen, as the Nigerian forward has been a key player, contributing four goals and three assists in 32 matches across all competitions this season.
This injury update is also a major concern for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, who will be hoping to have Tella fully fit for Nigeria’s must-win World Cup qualifying games against Rwanda in Kigali and Zimbabwe in Uyo.
