Super Eagles head coach, Éric Chelle, has disclosed that he is still weighing his options ahead of Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations third-place playoff against Egypt.
The encounter is scheduled for Saturday at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, with both sides coming off demanding semi-final outings.
Nigeria were last in action on Wednesday when they faced tournament hosts Morocco.
The tense clash stretched into extra time before the Atlas Lions edged the Super Eagles 4-2 on penalties.
Chelle is also contending with selection concerns, as Victor Osimhen remains a major doubt due to injury, while central defender Calvin Bassey will miss the match through suspension.
Speaking to reporters in Casablanca, the Malian tactician admitted fatigue has taken a toll on his squad following the congested fixture schedule.
“I spoke about that, just told the truth, you cannot play two games in 48 hours with the same intensity,” Chelle told reporters in Casablanca.
“You have to wait 72 hours, this is not me who says this. It is the doctor and all of these guys who know the body and I think that we were tired (before the Morocco game). So I had two options, maybe take a risk change all of the team and if we lost you will tell me, ‘ahh why you change the team.’
“But my decision, I made the choice, the choice is not good but this is football. Sometimes, you lose some shots.
“For the third place, we have the same problem, same context, the players are tired, played the whole tournament, played 48 hours ago, so I will think only do my choice.
“My philosophy will be, we want to win this game. So will put the best players for this game.”
Chelle added that his final selection will be based on his desire to secure a positive result despite the physical challenges facing his team.
