Seven Super Eagles Stars Miss Russia Friendly

Eric Chelle’s plans for Nigeria’s friendly against Russia have suffered another major setback, with seven Super Eagles players ruled out of Tuesday’s clash in Nizhny Novgorod.

Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Usor, Victory Akpe, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola and Suleiman Mubarak will all miss the match for different reasons.

The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the withdrawals, leaving Chelle with just 18 players in Russia for the encounter. The Super Eagles are looking to respond after their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ndidi and Akpe are unavailable because of injuries. The NFF said Ndidi suffered a small knock during last week's defeat in Bissau, while Basel defender Akpe was also ruled out through injury. Vince Osuji and John Otomewo were brought into the squad as replacements.

Four other players were blocked by their clubs. Eintracht Frankfurt stopped Onyedika from travelling, while Birmingham City and Al Wasl kept Osayi-Samuel and Popoola respectively.

Usor also received a late invitation after scoring on his Nigeria debut against Madagascar, but Austrian club LASK refused to release him for the trip to Russia.

Mubarak's withdrawal has a different explanation. The Slavia Prague midfielder could not travel because his Russian entry paperwork was not secured, according to the NFF. The setback also means he will have to wait for his opportunity to make his Super Eagles debut.

The scale of the withdrawals leaves Chelle with a very different squad from the 24 players originally selected for the friendly. Ndidi and Onyedika's absence, in particular, removes two midfield options from the original selection.

Nigeria will face Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6. The two nations drew 1-1 in their previous meeting in Moscow in June 2025.

With several established players missing, will Chelle's depleted Super Eagles squad still be able to produce a strong response against Russia?