NFF Laments As Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles Face Russia With Weakened Squad

• The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the Super Eagles squad for the Russia friendly has been cut from 24 to 18 players
• Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Raphael Onyedika are among the high-profile names absent
• The match against Russia on October 6 follows the Super Eagles' 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 AFCON qualifier

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Eric Chelle's Super Eagles will enter their international friendly against Russia on October 6 with a significantly reduced squad, following a wave of injuries and club refusals to release players.

The match will take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time. It serves as the final fixture of the current international break for the Super Eagles.

The game comes on the back of a painful 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match, a result that has heaped pressure on Chelle's side heading into the friendly.

NFF confirms reduced Super Eagles squad

According to an NFF statement, the squad has been trimmed from the originally planned 24 players down to just 18, after a combination of fitness concerns and clubs withholding clearance for their players made it impossible to maintain the full selection.

Among those unavailable are captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Raphael Onyedika, three of the more prominent names in the Eagles set-up whose absences will be keenly felt ahead of the Russia encounter.

Despite the setbacks, the squad still includes a number of experienced players. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and forward Moses Simon remain in the group, alongside striker Akor Adams. The squad also welcomes back Kelechi Iheanacho and Benjamin Fredrick, who return to the fold for this fixture.

Full Super Eagles squad in Russia

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 Fredrick (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).

Akor Adams speaks after Guinea-Bissau loss

Legit.ng previously reported that Akor Adams explained what went wrong for the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

The Venezia forward confirmed that the players were at their worst as a group that day, and it had a serious impact on the mood in the dressing room.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.