Nigeria’s Super Eagles will have 19 players available for Tuesday’s international friendly against Russia following the withdrawal of seven players from the squad for various reasons.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said on Sunday that the squad had been weakened by injuries and the refusal of some clubs to release their players for the encounter.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi and Victory Akpe will miss the match due to injuries, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were prevented from travelling by their respective clubs.
Moses Usor, who earned his first Nigeria call-up after scoring on his debut against Madagascar, was also unable to travel after Austrian club LASK withheld his release.
Suleiman Mubarak, meanwhile, could not secure the residence permit required for his trip to Russia.
The withdrawals initially left head coach Éric Chelle with 18 players in camp. However, late invitee Ibrahim Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov subsequently joined the squad, bringing the number of available players to 19.
The Super Eagles held their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening ahead of Tuesday’s encounter.
Full List of 19 Available Players
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
Nigeria will face Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday as the Super Eagles seek to bounce back from their 3–0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign last week.
The two sides last met in June 2025, playing out a 1–1 draw at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
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