Super Eagles reshuffle squad ahead of Russia friendly

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has made late squad adjustments ahead of their international friendly against Russia on Tuesday.

Injury concerns and the departure of some high-profile players after their recent 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers forced the reshuffle.

Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia is set to take place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

 Super Eagles captain withdraws

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has withdrawn from the squad due to an injury that he had been playing with for a while.
The Beşiktaş midfielder was named earlier in Chelle’s 24-man squad but will no longer be available.

FC Basel central defender Akpe Victory will also not be available for the fixture due to injury.

Slavia Prague‘s Mubarak Suleiman is also ruled out due to a minor injury.

Nigerian stars like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Alex Iwobi were already omitted from this testing roster.

Super Eagles squad replacements

Head coach Eric Chelle has handed late call-ups to Tromsø centre-back Vince Osuji and Stade Reims defensive midfielder John Otomewo.

Both players are yet to make an appearance for the country and stand a chance to make their full international debuts.

Bursaspor forward Kelechi Iheanacho makes a return to the squad after a period of absence.

With Ndidi out, Paris FC winger Moses Simon will be the most experienced player in the squad and could captain the Super Eagles side.

Simon was recently honored after making his 100th appearance for Nigeria.

Debut opportunity for players

Players such as Peter Edopolor of Benfica, Abubakar Umar of Famalicão and Abdullahi Umar of Hradec Králové have been handed the opportunity to make their senior international debuts for Nigeria.

This opportunity serves as a rare audition for the home-based players such as Ikorodu City duo Michael Atata and Remi Adeoye before their U23 AFCON qualifiers in November.

Other potential debutants include Isaac James of Alverca, Chibuzo Nwoko of Fulham, Stephen Michael of Vendsyssel, Igor Wilfred of Kristiansund, Ridwan Abdulrasaq of Al Wasl and Aderemi Adeoye of Ikorodu City.

Super Eagles depart for Moscow

The Super Eagles backroom staff and the Nigeria Premier Football League players in the squad have departed for Moscow on Thursday to prepare for the fixture.

The foreign-based players are expected to join the team in Russia.

Chelle, who did not return with the team from Guinea-Bissau following their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying defeat, is also expected to link up with the squad in Russia.

Nigeria will face Russia on Tuesday, hoping to bounce back from their last match defeat.

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