The Super Eagles will face Russia with a depleted squad after seven players became unavailable for the international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the withdrawals were caused by a combination of injuries and clubs refusing to release players for the fixture.
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Captain Wilfred Ndidi and Victory Akpe were ruled out through injury, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were stopped from travelling by their respective clubs.
Moses Usor, who was called up after scoring on his Nigeria debut against Madagascar, was also prevented from joining the squad by his Austrian club, LASK.
Suleiman Mubarak, meanwhile, could not secure the residence permit required for his trip to Russia.
The withdrawals initially left head coach Éric Chelle with 18 players in camp. However, late invitee Ibrahim Ajasa of Russian club FC Rostov subsequently joined the squad, bringing the number to 19.
The Super Eagles held their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening ahead of the encounter.
Full list of 19 available players
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
Nigeria will be looking to respond positively after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign last week.
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The Super Eagles and Russia last met in June 2025, playing out a 1-1 draw at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.


























