CAF confirmed that Victor Osimhen would miss Nigeria’s opening AFCON PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers while he continued recovery from a muscle injury. That makes his absence from the Guinea-Bissau match a confirmed availability fact, not a transfer or selection rumour.
Nigeria still recovered to beat Madagascar 2–1 in the opener. George Ilenikhena equalised and Moses Usor scored the winner, but that result alone does not establish a fixed replacement, formation or hierarchy for the next game.
The practical question for supporters is how the official team sheet distributes the responsibility across the front line and attacking midfield. Any expected XI published before the confirmed lineup should be treated as analysis, not fact.
This is a verification-led update: no injury timeline beyond the published reports, no invented quotes, and no claim that one player can simply replace another.
