Seven Super Eagles players will miss Nigeria’s international friendly against Russia on Tuesday after injuries, club restrictions and a residence permit problem disrupted coach Éric Chelle’s plans.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, Victory Akpe, Moses Usor and Suleiman Mubarak were ruled out of the encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the reasons for their unavailability in a statement issued ahead of the match.
Ndidi and Akpe are unavailable because of injuries. Ndidi, who was expected to captain the side against Russia, sustained a minor knock during Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in last week’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bissau.
The NFF also confirmed that Switzerland-based defender Akpe was stopped from travelling because of injury.
Three other players — Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel and Popoola — were prevented from joining the team by their respective clubs.
Onyedika was stopped from travelling by German club Eintracht Frankfurt, while Birmingham City withheld defender Osayi-Samuel. UAE-based midfielder Popoola was similarly prevented from travelling by Al-Wasl.
Forward Moses Usor, who scored on his Nigeria debut in the 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo on September 25, was also unavailable after his Austrian club, LASK, refused to release him.
Usor was not included in the original travelling list but was subsequently requested by Chelle following the withdrawals. However, according to the NFF, LASK told the player not to travel to Russia. SportCabal reported that the request came too close to the friendly for the Austrian club to approve his release.
The seventh absentee, Suleiman Mubarak of Slavia Prague, was unable to travel because his residence permit had not been secured.
Mubarak, who was in line to make his senior Super Eagles debut, could therefore not complete the trip to Russia because of the documentation problem.
The withdrawals initially left Chelle with 18 players in Russia before FC Rostov midfielder Ibraheem Ajasa received a late invitation, taking the number available for the encounter to 19.
The depleted squad means Nigeria will face Russia without its captain and several players who had been expected to feature in Chelle’s plans for the friendly. The Super Eagles are seeking a better result after their 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their last 2027 AFCON qualifying match.
The friendly between Nigeria and Russia will be played on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time. The match will be the second meeting between both countries, following their 1-1 draw in Moscow in June 2025.
