Fulham Stay Unbeaten Despite Nigerian Trio’s AFCON 2025 Absence

Fulham have defied expectations in the Premier League, remaining unbeaten in three matches without their influential Nigerian stars Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze, who are away on international duty at AFCON 2025.

Many feared the Cottagers would struggle without the trio, who have been central to their impressive campaign.

Iwobi and Chukwueze have each scored twice this season, while Bassey has added a goal from centre-back. Chukwueze has also been Fulham’s leading creator with four assists, a tally only recently matched by Harry Wilson.

Defensively, Bassey ranked among the club’s top tacklers with 31 challenges before departing for Morocco.

Yet Marco Silva’s side have coped admirably. In their absence, Fulham edged Nottingham Forest 1-0 at Craven Cottage, beat West Ham United 1-0 away, and drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day.

Across those fixtures, they scored three times and conceded just once, showing resilience and balance even without their Nigerian core.