Umar Sadiq called up for Copa del Rey clash despite having been ruled out of AFCON due to injury

Real Sociedad make the short trip to Pamplona on Wednesday as they take on Osasuna in their Copa del Rey round of 16 tie.

The competition presents a good opportunity for silverware for the Basque side, who will likely go all out to reach the later stages of the competition.

La Real will be without Takefusa Kubo and Hamari Traore for the match due to international commitments, but curiously, they do have Umar Sadiq available. The 26-year-old striker has been included in the squad for the fixture, despite having been ruled out of playing for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations just a few days ago.

Sadiq picked up a knee injury during Nigeria’s training camp ahead of the competition, which had been expected to keep him out of action for at least three weeks. However, he has been passed fit for Wednesday’s match, and La Real head coach Imanol Alguacil clarified the situation when he spoke to the media.

“Sadiq wanted to stay with Nigeria, but they had doubts about how his evolution would go, that’s why he returned. Yesterday he tested and had a good feeling, today also with the team. He is ready to play.”

Nigeria’s loss is certainly Real Sociedad’s gain, especially since they are a further forward down following Mohamed-Ali Cho’s sale. It could even work out that Sadiq is the difference maker against Osasuna on Wednesday.