Eagles switch focus to club action after World Cup ouster

Super Eagles stars return to their respective clubs this weekend following Nigeria’s painful exit from the 2026 World Cup, with matches across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Turkish Super Lig, PETER AKINBO writes

SATURDAY

Premier League

Fulham vs Sunderland (Iwobi, Bassey)

Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey are expected to retain their spot in the starting lineup when Fulham host high-flying Sunderland at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.

Sunderland will be looking to consolidate their place in the top four of the Premier League table when they travel to Craven Cottage. The two teams meet for the first time since February 2023, when Marco Silva’s men claimed a 3-2 away victory in an FA Cup fifth-round replay.

Fulham ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League when they eased to a 3-0 home victory over basement club Wolves at the beginning of November, but they were unable to register back-to-back wins as they suffered a 2-0 away defeat to Everton before the international break.

The Cottagers are one of only four Premier League teams who are yet to win away from home this season, leaving them languishing in 15th place and just one point above the relegation zone.

Wolves vs Palace (Arokodare vs Uche)

Tolu Arokodare will hope new Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Rob Edwards can revive his stuttering career when they welcome Crystal Palace and Christantus Uche to Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

Rob Edwards will take charge of his first Premier League game as head coach of Wolves. The Old Gold and the Eagles butt heads for the first time since May, when the latter secured a 4-2 top-flight win at Selhurst Park.

Rooted to the bottom of the table and already eight points adrift of safety, Wolves have failed to win any of their 11 Premier League games this season (D2 L9), conceding a division-high 25 goals in the process.

Arokodare’s arrival at Wolves was supposed to mark a new chapter after he scored 20 goals at Genk and won the Ebony Shoe as the best African player in the Belgian league. However, the 24-year-old has endured a difficult adaptation, making seven Premier League appearances without scoring.

Crystal Palace have put together a three-game unbeaten run in November across all competitions. Four wins, five draws and two defeats have been posted across 11 Premier League matches by the Eagles, who have slipped to 10th in the table.

Uche, who joined Palace on loan from Getafe on transfer deadline day in September, has played just eight minutes of Premier League football so far this term. Spanish outlet AS revealed that the Eagles plan to send him back to Getafe in January, with manager Oliver Glasner reportedly making a final decision that he has no plans to keep the Nigerian for the second half of the season.

La Liga

Osasuna vs Real Sociedad (Sadiq)

Umar Sadiq faces an uncertain future as Osasuna welcome Real Sociedad to El Sadar on Saturday evening in La Liga.

Real Sociedad currently sit 14th with 13 points from three wins, four draws, and five defeats. Despite this, La Real arrive in better overall form, unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, with three wins and two draws.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Sociedad will only consider letting Sadiq leave in the winter transfer window if a convincing bid is presented. The club are not actively pushing him toward the exit, with any potential deal only happening if it “satisfies their economic pretensions.”

The newspaper stated that Sadiq’s situation has become “the main point of attention” in the club’s planning for January, with Real Sociedad balancing the Nigerian forward’s ambition to secure regular minutes before the World Cup and their own need to optimise their frontline.

Sadiq has shown renewed commitment in recent weeks, demonstrating strong attitude in appearances against Negreira in the Copa del Rey and Elche in the league, where he helped Real Sociedad salvage a point in stoppage time.

Serie A

Napoli vs Atalanta (Lookman)

Ademola Lookman is expecting a fresh start under new Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino when they visit Napoli at Stadio Maradona on Saturday evening.

While the Serie A champions have been struggling for several weeks, their visitors are marooned in mid-table and hope to spark a revival under new management.

Atalanta were still Scudetto challengers when the sides last met in January, as Napoli’s 3-2 win earned revenge for a heavy home loss two months earlier.

Struggling to move on from the highly successful Gian Piero Gasperini era, Atalanta have produced just two wins from 11 Serie A matches so far, losing 3-0 at home to Sassuolo before the international break. That led to a swift change in the dugout, with ex-Fiorentina boss Palladino replacing Ivan Juric.

Lookman has reinstated photos of himself in Atalanta colours on Instagram, signalling a fresh start under Palladino. The Nigerian forward had previously hidden all Atalanta-related posts and replaced his profile picture with a black dot, sparking speculation of a possible exit.

Palladino has expressed firm confidence in Lookman, describing him as a key part of his plans. The 28-year-old has struggled to replicate last season’s form, scoring just once in 10 appearances across all competitions.

Udinese vs Bologna (Okoye)

Seeking a third win from four games, Udinese instead suffered a 2-0 defeat at Stadio Olimpico just before the break, as they became the latest victims of surprise Scudetto challengers Roma.

Nonetheless, Kosta Runjaic’s side remain just inside the top 10, with 15 points from 11 matches. While they are scoring at a healthy rate, Udinese have shipped 17 goals in Serie A this season, the league’s second-worst defensive record.

Maduka Okoye is expected to defend the goal and has accumulated a save percentage of 68.6% in his professional career.

SUNDAY

Ligue 1

Lille vs Paris FC (Simon)

Moses Simon will hope to continue his fine form when Paris FC travel to Stade Pierre-Mauroy to face Lille on Sunday evening in Ligue 1.

Simon earned a spot in the French Ligue 1 Team of the Week following his impressive display against AS Monaco. The 30-year-old gave Paris the lead in the 53rd minute, placing Maxime Lopez’s cutback into the roof of the net from the centre of the penalty area in a crucial 1-0 away victory.

His energetic runs, creativity, and work rate on both ends of the pitch drew praise from fans and pundits alike. For the eighth game in Paris’ last nine, a one-goal margin was enough to decide the contest, with the visitors climbing to 10th in the Ligue 1 standings.

Nantes vs Lorient (Awaziem)

Nantes host Lorient at Stade de la Beaujoire in a relegation six-pointer on Sunday, with the hosts 16th in the standings with 10 points from 12 fixtures, narrowly above the 17th-placed visitors on goal difference.

According to Opta via Tribune Nantaise, Chidozie Awaziem has completed 128 successful defensive actions across the opening 12 matchdays, more than any other player in the French top flight. His remarkable numbers include 101 clearances, placing him comfortably ahead of rivals.

The 28-year-old Nigerian has emerged as the club’s most reliable performer. Manager Luis Castro has used only one player more often than Awaziem this season, which further highlights the importance of the Super Eagles star for the Canaries.

Serie A

Lazio vs Lecce (Dele-Bashiru)

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru faces an uncertain future when Lazio host Lecce at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Having tightened up their defence and gradually recovered from a slow start to the season, Lazio were undefeated in six games before visiting Inter Milan last time out. However, they found themselves behind within three minutes and were ultimately beaten 2-0.

Lazio now occupy ninth place on 15 points.

Top transfer expert Alfredo Pedulla reported that Dele-Bashiru’s situation at Lazio is “fluid.” The midfielder struggled at the start of the season before he suffered an injury setback. He could now be reinstated in the squad as he has recovered fully from injury in place of teammate Nicolo Rovella, who now has to undergo surgery.

The midfielder has yet to meet expectations, and according to Pedulla, Lazio will be ready to listen to a good offer for the player.

MONDAY

La Liga

RCD Espanyol vs Sevilla (Adams, Ejuke)

Chidera Ejuke and Akor Adams bring Nigerian firepower to Barcelona when Sevilla face RCD Espanyol on Monday evening in La Liga.

Both Nigerian stars scored for the Super Eagles during the recent international break and are set to feature for Sevilla in this high-drama match.

Espanyol, chasing a European spot, haven’t beaten Sevilla since 2017, adding spice to this eagerly anticipated encounter. With local pride, European dreams, and relegation battles on the line, LaLiga Matchday 13 promises thrilling football action.

Turkish Super Lig

Istanbul Basaksehir vs Trabzonspor (Onuachu)

Paul Onuachu will hope to continue his prolific form when Trabzonspor visit Istanbul Basaksehir in the Turkish Super Lig on Monday.

The towering striker has been back to his lethal best in Turkey following his £6m summer exit from Southampton. Onuachu has eight goals and an assist to his name in 12 appearances this season.

Standing at over two metres tall yet boasting the confidence to produce moments of flair, the 31-year-old needed to be somewhere he could play confidently and happily. He is doing just that with Trabzonspor, building on the fine loan he had there prior.