Russia friendly withdrawals leave Nigeria with 19 players as injuries, club restrictions and paperwork disrupt Éric Chelle’s Super Eagles squad

The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed that 19 Super Eagles players are available for Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, after head coach Éric Chelle lost seven players to injuries, club restrictions and a residence permit problem.

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Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, Victory Akpe, Moses Usor and Suleiman Mubarak are all unavailable for the encounter, leaving Chelle with a significantly reshaped squad for the second meeting between Nigeria and Russia in 16 months.

The NFF said Ndidi and Akpe were ruled out through injuries, while Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel and Popoola were prevented from travelling by their respective clubs.

Usor, who scored on his Nigeria debut against Madagascar in the current international window, was also stopped from travelling by Austrian club LASK.

Mubarak’s absence was caused by a different problem. The forward could not secure the residence permit required for his trip to Russia.

The withdrawals initially reduced the travelling group to 18 players, but FC Rostov midfielder Ibrahim Ajasa was subsequently invited and joined the camp in Nizhny Novgorod, taking the number to 19.

The available squad is made up of three goalkeepers, five defenders, four midfielders and seven forwards.

The goalkeeping options are Michael Atata of Ikorodu City, Samuel James of SJK FC in Finland and South Africa-based Stanley Nwabali of Chippa United.

In defence, Chelle has Kenneth Igboke of Enugu Rangers, Isaac James of Alverca FC in Portugal, Benjamin Fredricks of Brentford in England, Emmanuel Fernandez of Glasgow Rangers in Scotland and Abdullahi Bewene of FC Banik Ostrava in Czechia.

The midfield group comprises Chibuzo Nwoke of Fulham, Stephen Michael of Vendsyssel FF in Denmark, Igor Wilfred of Kristiansund FC in Norway and Aderemi Adeoye of Ikorodu City.

Up front, the available options are Kelechi Iheanacho of Bursaspor in Turkey, Moses Simon of Paris FC in France, Akor Adams of Venezia in Italy, Peter Edokpolor of SL Benfica in Portugal, Abubakar Umar of FC Famalicao in Portugal, Abdullahi Umar of Hradec Kralove in Czechia and late call-up Ibrahim Ajasa of FC Rostov in Russia.

The squad means Chelle will have to manage without two important midfield figures in Ndidi and Onyedika, while the absence of Osayi-Samuel and Popoola further reduces his defensive options.

Iheanacho’s return is one of the more notable features of the group.

The experienced forward has been recalled after an extended absence from the national team and could provide valuable experience to a squad containing several less-established players.

Iheanacho said he was pleased to be back with the Super Eagles and was looking forward to the opportunity in Russia.

“I am really happy to be here, and I will enjoy it with the boys, and hopefully we will have a very lovely outing on Tuesday.”

Akor Adams has also welcomed the opportunity presented by the reshaped squad, stressing that the presence of new players does not diminish the significance of representing Nigeria.

“There are a lot of new boys in camp, but it’s still the Super Eagles. The coach has made it clear that we have to win.”

The friendly comes at a delicate point in Nigeria’s international window.

The Super Eagles began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.

Chelle will therefore view the Russia match as an opportunity to assess his wider squad while restoring confidence after the disappointing result in Bissau.

The number of late withdrawals, however, means the coach has had considerably less continuity than he would have wanted.

Russia arrive with confidence after recent victories over Iran and Namibia.

The hosts defeated Iran 2-0 before recording a 6-0 victory over Namibia, giving the Russian side considerable momentum before the meeting with Nigeria.

The two countries last met in June 2025 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, where they played out a 1-1 draw.

Russia took the lead through a Semi Ajayi own goal before Tolu Arokodare equalised for Nigeria in the second half.

The previous meeting also came with Nigeria missing several established names, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Ola Aina.

For Ajasa, the latest encounter offers a particularly interesting opportunity.

The FC Rostov midfielder was called up after the withdrawals and joined the Nigeria camp in Russia, potentially giving him a chance to make an impression on Chelle and his coaching staff in familiar surroundings.

The Super Eagles completed their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening ahead of the friendly.

For Chelle, the immediate challenge is to turn a disrupted preparation period into a productive international outing.

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With only 19 players available, the Russia fixture should provide a revealing test of Nigeria’s squad depth and the coach’s ability to adapt when injuries, club decisions and administrative issues remove several planned options.