Benin vs Nigeria: Gernot Rohr loses important star ahead of 2025 AFCON Qualifiers clash

Ludogorets defender Olivier Verdon will be unavailable for Benin when they trade tackles with Nigeria in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Benin will be looking to claim a big scalp when they welcome Nigeria’s Super Eagles to the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Thursday.

Although Nigeria have always dominated the fixture, in recent month, Benin have proven to be a stubborn nut to crack.

The Squirrels of Benin already defeated Nigeria in June this year, and they would look to draw inspiration from that. However, it won’t be an easy one.

Aside from the fact that Nigeria has better players, Benin are missing some important players. Before the international break, it was already revealed that Cedric Hountondji would miss the game due to an injury.

Now, in a new development, one of Rohr’s trusted defenders Verdon will be unavailable for the fixture. The reason for his absence is unknown, as he was named in the squad that will take on Nigeria.

Nonetheless, Rohr will look to shape up his defence line very well. Moreover, the last time Benin defeated Nigeria, Verdon did not play.

Rohr’s Cheetas will have an extra motivation going into the game as a win could all but see them through to Morocco 2025.