LAGOS — The Super Eagles will have 19 players available for Tuesday’s international friendly against Russia after seven invited players withdrew from the squad.
The Nigeria Football Federation said injuries, club restrictions and a documentation issue affected the squad ahead of the encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe were ruled out because of injuries, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were prevented from travelling by their respective clubs.
Moses Usor was also stopped from travelling by Austrian club LASK, while Suleiman Mubarak could not secure the residence permit required for his trip to Russia.
The withdrawals initially left coach Éric Chelle with 18 players in camp before late invitee Ibrahim Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov joined the team, bringing the number to 19.
The available squad includes goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, defender Benjamin Fredricks, midfielder Chibuzo Nwoke and forwards Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
The Super Eagles will face Russia as they look to recover from their 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture.
Nigeria and Russia last met in June 2025, when both sides played out a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Kick-off for Tuesday’s friendly is scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time.
