Three of Nigeria’s most prominent strikers in Europe will be hoping to end their respective goal droughts when they take to the field for their clubs today (Saturday), PETER AKINBO writes

Victor Boniface, Umar Sadiq and Taiwo Awoniyi have all struggled to find the back of the net in recent months, with their barren runs stretching back to different periods last season.

Boniface’s alarming drought has now reached 12 matches, with his last goal coming in March during a defeat to Bochum whilst still at parent club Bayer Leverkusen.

The 24-year-old forward, now on loan at Werder Bremen, has gone eight months without a goal. He has featured in six games for Bremen this season, registering just one assist and no goals.

Despite the concerning statistics, Bremen have publicly backed the striker, celebrating him on social media following their latest victory.

Boniface failed to find the net in his first club start for Bremen against Union Berlin, playing 85 minutes but registering just one shot on target and completing only one dribble from five attempts.

His struggles represent a dramatic fall from grace after an explosive debut season at Leverkusen, where he tallied 14 goals and nine assists. His output dropped significantly in the 2024/25 campaign, finishing with just 10 goal involvements across 19 league games.

The goal drought extends to the international stage, where Boniface is yet to score a competitive goal for the Super Eagles since his debut in 2023.

Boniface will be looking to end his barren run when Bremen travel to face Mainz today.

For Sadiq, the situation is equally concerning. The Real Sociedad striker has managed just two appearances this season without finding the net or providing an assist.

His drought stretches back to last season, where he made seven appearances for Sociedad without scoring before joining Valencia on loan in January 2025.

During his spell at Valencia, Sadiq scored six goals in 16 matches, with his last goal coming in April 2025 against Rayo Vallecano in a 1-1 draw. However, Valencia did not activate the €10m buy option in his loan deal.

As of now, Sadiq is still under contract with Real Sociedad until 2028, but the club no longer wants to keep him, and a permanent move away appears likely.

The 28-year-old will be hoping to break his duck when Sociedad host Athletic Bilbao today.

Awoniyi’s struggles have been compounded by injury concerns. The Nottingham Forest striker has featured in just two games this season without a goal or assist.

His last league goal came in January 2025, in a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, which ended a 324-day goal drought.

The 28-year-old’s 2024-2025 Premier League season was marred by injuries and limited game time. He featured in 26 of Forest’s 38 league matches, coming off the bench 23 times, starting three times and scoring just once.

A serious abdominal injury sustained against Leicester City on May 11, 2025, required urgent surgery and a brief induced coma, from which he recovered by May 15.

Ange Postecoglou started Awoniyi in his final game in charge against Chelsea on October 18, which proved to be a disastrous decision. The Nigerian, who hadn’t featured all season after recovering from injury, was thrown in at the deep end against the Blues.

In the 3-0 defeat, Awoniyi mustered just one shot and 14 touches, losing possession on four occasions. He also featured in the 2-0 loss to Bournemouth.

His limited starts last season, overshadowed by Chris Wood’s 20 goals, and injury concerns restricted his impact.

Awoniyi will be hoping to rediscover his scoring touch when Forest host Manchester United today.