Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face Russia in an international friendly on Tuesday with only 18 players currently in camp after a number of injuries and club related issues affected the squad.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi is unavailable after suffering a knock during Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea Bissau last week. Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi Samuel and Ridwan Popoola were also not released by their respective clubs.
Switzerland based defender Victory Akpe has been ruled out through injury, while LASK FC prevented Moses Usor from joining the squad after the forward received a late invitation from head coach Éric Chelle. Usor had made an impressive start to his international career after scoring on his debut against Madagascar on September 25.
Suleiman Mubarak of Slavia Prague was another absentee, with residency permit issues preventing him from travelling to join the team.
The setbacks have left the Super Eagles with a reduced squad for their meeting with Russia, coming about 16 months after both countries played out a 1 1 draw at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
To strengthen the squad, Ibraheem Ajasa of FC Rostov received a late invitation and was expected to arrive at Nigeria’s camp in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday evening.
Russia, meanwhile, head into the game in confident mood after recording a convincing 6 0 victory over Namibia on Saturday.
The hosts produced a dominant display at the Ekaterinburg Arena, scoring five times in the second half after Lechi Sadulaev had opened the scoring in the 37th minute. Danil Prutsev, Konstantin Tyukavin, Maksim Glushenkov and Maksim Petrov all found the net after the break, while Namibia goalkeeper Kamaijanda Ndisiro also conceded an own goal deep into stoppage time.
Russia finished the match with 24 attempts, including 14 shots on target, while Namibia failed to register a shot on target.
The emphatic victory extended Russia’s unbeaten run to four matches, during which they have scored 14 goals. The Russians have been restricted to international friendlies since FIFA sanctions were imposed following the events of 2022. Their most recent defeat was a 1 0 loss to Egypt on May 28, 2026.
Nigeria will meet Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6. The 44,000 capacity venue was one of the stadiums used during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The 18 players currently in the Super Eagles camp are made up of three goalkeepers, five defenders, four midfielders and six forwards.
The goalkeepers are Michael Atata of Ikorodu City, Samuel James of SJK FC in Finland and Stanley Nwabali of Chippa United in South Africa.
The defenders are Kenneth Igboke of Enugu Rangers, Isaac James of Alverca FC in Portugal, Benjamin Fredricks of Brentford FC in England, Emmanuel Fernandez of Glasgow Rangers in Scotland and Abdullahi Bewene of Banik Ostrava in Czechia.
The midfield group consists of Chibuzo Nwoke of Fulham FC in England, Stephen Michael of Vendsyssel FF in Denmark, Igor Wilfred of Kristiansund FC in Norway and Aderemi Adeoye of Ikorodu City.
The forwards are Kelechi Iheanacho of Bursaspor FC in Turkey, Moses Simon of Paris FC in France, Akor Adams of Venezia FC in Italy, Peter Edokpolor of Benfica in Portugal, Abubakar Umar of Famalicao in Portugal and Abdullahi Umar of Hradec Kralove in Czechia.
With Russia arriving on the back of a big win and Nigeria dealing with several absences, the friendly presents a demanding test for Chelle and his players.
