Super Eagles stars, Olise, Eze, Tosin poised for return of EPL on Boxing Day

The English Premier League is back and seven league matches will be played on Monday. 

It's barely a week since the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ended but the Boxing day tradition in the English topflight will continue. 

Players of the Nigerian national team and those of Nigerian descent but yet to play for the country of their birth or country of their parents are expected to be in action across the grounds. 

Frank Onyeka (Brentford) 

Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka is fit and is likely to play in a five-man midfield system on Boxing day as Brentford host Tottenham Hotspur at the Gtech Community Stadium at 1.30pm on Monday. 

The Nigerian has played in 12 league games plus two Carabao Cup games for the Bees this season. 

Brentford have won only two of their last nine league matches, but one of those was a 2-1 win at Manchester City ahead of the World Cup break.

The Bees whose manager Frank Thomas extended his contract until 2027 over the weekend held their London rivals to a 0-0 draw at home in this fixture last season.

 
Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise (Crystal Palace), Tosin  Adarabioyo (Fulham) 

The duo of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are eligible to play for England and France respectively but were not selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by the head coaches of the national teams despite being on reasonably good club form. 

With the World Cup euphoria and disappointment gradually getting evaporating, the players will be hard-pressed to get on with their club careers and are expected to start on Monday when Crystal Palace host Tosin Adarabioyo and his Fulham teammates. 
    

Alex Iwobi (Everton) 

Everton have failed to score in five of their last six matches in the Premier League but on individual basis, Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has done brilliantly. 

According to football statistics providers OPTA, the Super Eagles playmaker ranks joint fourth in assists, along with Arsenal stars Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, and Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen.

Iwobi and the other three players are behind Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne with fourteen in all competitions, followed by Andrew Robertson (Liverpool) and Ivan Perišić (Tottenham Hotspur) with seven each.

Iwobi is nailed-on to start on Monday against Wolverhampton Wanderers as he seeks to score his second league goal of the season in his 16th game this season. 
  

Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) 

Leicester have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six matches Premier League matches.

The duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho have both played 10 league games for Leicester City this season but going by the first team choices of manager Brendan Rodgers this season, both Nigerians may have to start from the bench as Boubakary Soumaré  and Patson Daka are likely to be favoured ahead of them on Monday when the Foxes welcome high-flying Newcastle United.

Joe Aribo (Southampton) 

Southampton have lost their last three Premier League games but have not lost in 11 of their last 12 matches against Brighton in all competitions.

Nigeria international Joe Aribo last played for the Saints on 12th November in a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. He was in action for only the last eight minutes in a game youngster Sam Edozie came off the bench in the 59th minute.

Izuchukwu Michael

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