Fulham boss supporting Iwobi and Bassey in AFCON final but admits missing Super Eagles duo

Fulham boss Marco Silva has revealed that his side has missed the services of Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey who are currently representing Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The duo last featured for the Cottagers in their 2-1 win over Arsenal in a Premier League fixture played at the Craven Cottage in December 2023.

Since then, they have been with the Super Eagles partaking in AFCON and have played a vital role in José Peseiro's side advancing to the final of the competition where they will face Ivory Coast.

Bassey has only failed to start a game for the three-time African champions which was the opening game against Equatorial Guinea, the same as Iwobi who has also been named among the substitutes on one occasion.

Speaking in his pre-match conference ahead of Fulham's clash with Bournemouth tomorrow, Silva has admitted that they have missed the Nigeria internationals but wished them the best ahead of the final  on Sunday.

"Of course we have been watching. It's mixed feelings for us. It's been a long time without two key players for us. Right now, we are supporting them in the final," Silva said.

All things being equal,  the duo should be available for the London-based side's Premier League encounter with Aston Villa next Saturday at the Craven Cottage.

Iwobi and Bassey joined the Cottagers last summer and have made 19 and 18 appearances for the club respectively.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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