Injury setbacks, club interventions, and administrative hurdles have forced seven players out of the Super Eagles’ upcoming friendly against Russia, according to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Ahead of the encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, head coach Éric Chelle has seen his squad depleted following a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Guinea-Bissau. Although eighteen players participated in Sunday’s session, the arrival of FC Rostov’s Ibrahim Ajasa as a late call-up brings the group in camp to nineteen. The team held its final pre-match training on Monday evening at 7:30 pm local time.
Fitness issues account for two of the absences. NFF sources confirmed that team captain Wilfred Ndidi sustained a minor knock during last week’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Meanwhile, the federation noted that “Switzerland-based defender Victory Akpe has been stopped from flying to Russia by injury.”
Club commitments have further restricted Chelle’s selections. Midfielder Raphael Onyedika was blocked from making the trip by Eintracht Frankfurt, while defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were similarly withheld by their respective teams. Austrian side LASK also refused to release forward Moses Usor, who was requested as a subsequent addition following his debut goal in the 2-1 victory over Madagascar on 25 September.
Administrative complications accounted for the remaining exclusion. Slavia Prague forward Suleiman Mubarak was in line for his international debut, but the federation stated that he “could not travel to Russia because his residence permit has not been secured.”
The opposition enter the fixture in strong form after securing a 2-0 win over Iran and a 6-0 victory against Namibia in Yekaterinburg on Saturday. Nigeria are aiming to improve upon their previous meeting with the Russians in June 2025, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Tolu Arokodare cancelled out an earlier own goal by Semi Ajayi.