Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel is struggling to be fit, less than three weeks before Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr announces his roster for a training camp in France.
The latest update regarding the influential Super Eagles captain is that the injury he suffered is worse than first thought, and he will sit out a third straight game when Yanbian Fude visit the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
''On the Mikel problem I have to to tell the truth, his injury situation is more complex, tomorrow's game he can not meet the requirements,'' manager Jaime Pacheco said at Friday's press conference.
''Mikel is very important to us, he can not play is our loss, but I also have full confidence in the players.''
Mikel asked to be excused before Rohr announced the squad list for the international friendly against Senegal in March as he needed to settle into his new team.
Another Chinese-based Super Eagle, Changchun Yatai's Odion Ighalo, has suffered an ankle injury, which could keep him on the sidelines for up to three weeks.