The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face Russia with a depleted 19-man squad on Tuesday after seven players withdrew from the international friendly for reasons ranging from injuries to club restrictions and travel documentation.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the withdrawals had “seriously weakened” the squad ahead of the encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe were ruled out through injuries, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were stopped from travelling by their clubs.
The NFF said Onyedika was prevented from joining the team by German club Eintracht Frankfurt, while Osayi-Samuel and Popoola were also withheld by their respective clubs.
Moses Usor, who scored on his Nigeria debut against Madagascar last month, was another late withdrawal after his Austrian club, LASK, refused to release him.
Suleiman Mubarak was also unable to travel because he could not secure the residence permit required for the trip to Russia.
The withdrawals initially left head coach Éric Chelle with 18 players in camp before Ibrahim Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov joined the squad as a late invitee.
The NFF said the 19 players available had completed their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening.
The friendly comes days after Nigeria suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, leaving Chelle under pressure to secure a positive result.
Russia, however, go into the match in stronger form after beating Iran 2-0 and Namibia 6-0 in their recent fixtures.
The two countries last met in June 2025, playing a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
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
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