Fulham's Africa Cup of Nations players: Who will miss Newcastle clash?
Fulham will be without three players for Wednesday's trip to Newcastle due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments.
Newcastle United will look to quickly banish the memory of their Wear-Tyne derby defeat to Sunderland when they host Fulham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
The Magpies went down 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday thanks to a Nick Woltemade own goal, in what was an utterly miserable afternoon for Eddie Howe’s side. However, football moves quickly, and Newcastle have the chance to promptly put things right when Marco Silva’s men come to town, as the Magpies continue the defence of their EFL Cup title.
Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon are both sidelined through injury, but Marco Silva will also be without a trio of key players due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi is third among Fulham players for direct goal involvements in the Premier League this season (4, 2g/2a) and first for chances created (23), passes into the penalty area (29), carries into the final third (36) and a host of other key metrics. And that’s no fluke, he’s been a key player for the Cottagers ever since he joined them from Everton in 2023. However, Silva will now be without his creative hub as he jets off to Morocco to try and help Nigeria win their fourth Afcon title and first since 2013.
Like all other players involved in Afcon, Iwobi must report for duty no later than Monday, 15th December, ahead of the tournament’s kick-off this weekend, meaning Wednesday’s clash against Newcastle will be the first match he misses.
Calvin Bassey
Joining Iwobi with the Super Eagles is centre-back Calvin Bassey. And like Iwobi going forward, Bassey is a key pillar of Fulham’s defence, sitting first among his teammates for possession recoveries (66) and shots blocked (13), and second for clearances (68) and tackles (31).
Bassey was particularly impressive against Burnley on Saturday, netting Fulham’s second goal in a 3-2 win at Turf Moor, while making a match-high five tackles, as well as four clearances, two interceptions, one block and nine recoveries. The 25-year-old also won a whopping 12 of his 15 duels - 10 on the ground and two in the air. Bassey will be the fulcrum of Nigeria’s backline in Morocco, and he’ll be sorely missed by Silva.
Samuel Chukwueze
If Fulham suffer over the next month, the Nigerian national team will have a lot to answer for, with Samuel Chukwueze the third player joining up with Eric Chelle’s side for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Signed on loan from AC Milan on deadline day, Chukwueze has shown bags of promise for Fulham, notching two goals and four assists, with only Harry Wilson registering more direct goal involvements (8, 5g/3a). Chukwueze is second among Fulham players for completed dribbles (14) and first for dribble success (51.9%), and he’s achieved all this despite his mere three Premier League starts only coming within the last four matches - the 26-year-old’s per-90-minute numbers are currently off the charts in a host of key metrics.
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"We are talking about three starting XI players," Silva said of his Nigerian trio. "We know Alex is a key player in any position he plays, the importance of Calvin, and what Chukwueze has been doing in recent games. "You have to find solutions. If you know any other way to handle it [Afcon], let me know."
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