Super Eagles Return To Fez Ahead Of AFCON Semi-Final Against Morocco

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have returned to their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) base in Fez to begin preparations for Wednesday’s semi-final showdown against hosts Morocco.

The team arrived back in the ancient Moroccan city on Sunday, barely 24 hours after their quarter-final success in Marrakesh, and wasted no time settling back into routine.

In a short update, team media officer Promise Efoghe confirmed that the players held a recovery session at the Saardienne football complex as tactical work began in earnest.

A short video shared alongside the statement showed the players stepping off their aircraft on arrival, a calm mood evident in the camp as attention turned firmly to the last four.

There are no fresh injury worries for the Nigerian side. However, midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will miss the semi-final after picking up yellow cards in both the round of 16 and quarter-final matches.

Nigeria’s return to Fez follows a new arrangement introduced by CAF for this edition of the tournament. For the first time at the AFCON, each team has been assigned a permanent base camp, with sides required to return there after every match before travelling to the venue of their next fixture.

The Super Eagles secured their place in the semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 win over Algeria at the Marrakech Stadium on Saturday. Nigeria dominated large spells of the game, with goals from Victor Osimhen and strike partner Akor Adams proving decisive against the Desert Warriors.

Their next test will be against Morocco, who edged past Cameroon 2-0 in the other quarter-final.

The semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, with a kick-off time of 8 pm. The stadium has served as Morocco’s home ground throughout the competition.

If Nigeria fall short against the hosts, they will head to Casablanca for Saturday’s third-place play-off. A win, however, would keep the Super Eagles in Rabat for Sunday’s final.