Super Eagles hit by seven withdrawals ahead of Russia friendly

Nigeria’s preparations for Tuesday’s friendly against Russia have been disrupted by seven player withdrawals, leaving head coach Eric Chelle with only 18 Super Eagles in camp. Captain Wilfred Ndidi and Victory Akpe are unavailable through injury, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Popoola were prevented from travelling by their clubs.

According to HF World, Moses Usor also missed out after LASK rejected a late release request, while Suleiman Mubarak could not travel because he lacks the required resident permit. Despite the setbacks, Chelle will use the match to assess his reduced squad, with several less experienced players handed an opportunity to impress against Russia.