Libya will be without midfielder Al-Mu’tasim Al-Musrati for both of their crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Tunisia after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the squad.
The 30-year-old will miss the meetings scheduled for 13 and 17 November, dealing a setback to coach Youssef Dabo as the Mediterranean Knights look to revive their qualification campaign.
An informed source told WinWin that Al-Musrati would not be included in the Senegalese coach’s squad for the third and fourth rounds of the qualifiers because he is still recovering from the injury.
The midfielder picked up the problem while playing for Al-Ahli Tripoli against Ethiopian side Welwalo Adigrat in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup round-of-32 tie. Al-Ahli Tripoli secured qualification for the competition’s group stage, but the match left the Libyan international facing a spell on the sidelines.
According to the source, Al-Musrati is receiving treatment for the hamstring injury and is expected to be unavailable for more than 10 days before he can return to training with his team-mates.
His absence means Libya will have to face Tunisia without one of their most prominent players at a particularly important stage of the qualifying campaign.
Al-Musrati’s continued absence from Libya
The injury is another disappointment for Al-Musrati, who returned to the national team in March after reversing his decision to retire from international football.
He had spent approximately two years away from the Libyan side before making that decision, but has yet to feature in an official match since returning.
The midfielder was also unavailable for Libya’s opening two qualifying fixtures against Botswana and Uganda. His latest injury will therefore extend his wait for a competitive appearance with the national team.
Al-Musrati was among the most highly valued players in the Libyan Premier League for the 2026-27 season, with a reported market value of 4.5 million.
His absence is particularly significant given the importance of the upcoming fixtures, with Libya needing positive results to improve their position in the group.
Libya face difficult task against Tunisia
The Mediterranean Knights enter the two matches in a difficult position after collecting only one point from their opening two games.
They drew with Botswana before losing to Uganda, leaving them at the bottom of the group standings.
Uganda lead the section with four points, while Botswana occupy second place. Tunisia are third with two points, ahead of Libya on the basis of their position in the standings.
With Uganda already assured of a place at the 2027 tournament as one of the three host nations, the battle for the remaining qualification place is between the other teams in the group.
That makes the two meetings with Tunisia especially important for Dabo’s side. Libya will need to collect points from the fixtures if they are to strengthen their chances of reaching the finals.
However, the absence of Al-Musrati leaves the coach with an additional challenge as he prepares his team for the encounters on 13 and 17 November.
The midfielder’s injury has come at an unfortunate time for Libya, who must now pursue their qualification ambitions without a player they had hoped would strengthen the squad following his return to international football.
