The Nigeria Football Federation has explained the withdrawal of seven players from the Super Eagles squad ahead of Tuesday’s international friendly against Russia, citing injuries, club restrictions and a documentation issue.
According to the NFF, captain Wilfred Ndidi and Basel defender Victory Akpe were ruled out through injuries. Ndidi sustained a minor knock during Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau last week.
Raphael Onyedika was prevented from travelling by German club Eintracht Frankfurt, while Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were also withheld by their respective clubs.
LASK forward Moses Usor was another late withdrawal. Usor, who scored on his Super Eagles debut in the 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo on September 25, was initially not included in the travelling squad. However, head coach Éric Chelle later requested his release, but LASK declined to allow him to travel.
Slavia Prague forward Suleiman Mubarak also missed out after failing to secure the required residence permit for travel to Russia.
The withdrawals have left Chelle with a significantly reduced squad ahead of the encounter. Eighteen players trained on Sunday before FC Rostov midfielder Ibrahim Ajasa arrived as a late replacement, taking the number in camp to 19.
The Super Eagles completed their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening.
Russia head into the encounter in impressive form, having defeated Iran 2-0 before recording a 6-0 victory over Namibia.
Nigeria will be seeking a better result than their previous meeting with Russia, which ended 1-1 in Moscow in June 2025.
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