Under pressure after a run of disappointing results, Nigeria’s Super Eagles will seek a return to winning ways today, Tuesday, when they face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
The Super Eagles head into the encounter following a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last week.
However, Nigeria face a strong Russian side that has enjoyed an impressive international window, defeating both Iran and Namibia while scoring eight goals across the two matches.
Kick-off time for the friendly is 5:00 pm Nigerian time, which is 7:00 pm in Moscow.
It will be only the second meeting between Nigeria and Russia. Their previous encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow in June 2025.
The Super Eagles will have 19 players available for the international friendly after seven players withdrew from the squad for various reasons.
“Refusal by some Clubs to release their players, coupled with injuries to notable names, have seriously weakened Nigeria’s Super Eagles squad ahead of Tuesday’s international friendly match against Russia’s senior men national team,” the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said in a statement.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, Victory Akpe, Moses Usor and Suleiman Mubarak are unavailable for the encounter.
The NFF said Ndidi and Akpe were ruled out through injuries, while Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel and Popoola were stopped from travelling by their respective clubs.
Usor, who was called up after scoring on his Nigeria debut against Madagascar, was also prevented from travelling by Austrian club LASK.
Meanwhile, Mubarak could not secure the residence permit required for his trip to Russia.
The withdrawals initially left head coach Éric Chelle with 18 players in Russia, but late invitee Ibrahim Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov subsequently joined the camp, taking the number to 19.
The Super Eagles held their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening ahead of the friendly.
See below the full list of 19 players available:
Goalkeepers
Michael Atata — Ikorodu City
Samuel James — SJK FC, Finland
Stanley Nwabali — Chippa United, South Africa
Defenders
Kenneth Igboke — Enugu Rangers
Isaac James — Alverca FC, Portugal
Benjamin Fredricks — Brentford FC, England
Emmanuel Fernandez — Glasgow Rangers, Scotland
Abdullahi Bewene — FC Banik Ostrava, Czechia
Midfielders
Chibuzo Nwoke — Fulham FC, England
Stephen Michael — Vendsyssel FF, Denmark
Igor Wilfred — Kristiansund FC, Norway
Aderemi Adeoye — Ikorodu City
Forwards
Kelechi Iheanacho — Bursaspor FC, Turkey
Moses Simon — Paris FC, France
Akor Adams — Venezia FC, Italy
Peter Edokpolor — SL Benfica, Portugal
Abubakar Umar — FC Famalicao, Portugal
Abdullahi Umar — Hradec Kralove, Czechia
Ibrahim Ajasa — FC Rostov, Russia
