Nigeria suffer seven withdrawals before Russia friendly

Nigeria will be without seven players for Tuesday’s friendly against Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with the Nigeria Football Federation outlining the reasons for the latest withdrawals.

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Usor, Akpe Victory, Bright Osayi-Samuel and two other players have all pulled out of the fixture.

According to a statement from the media department of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ndidi and Basel defender Akpe Victory are unavailable because of injuries.

“Captain Wilfred Ndidi was forced to leave the field after sustaining a slight injury during last week’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau,” the statement said.

“Defender Victory Akpe, who plays in Switzerland, was unable to travel to Russia because of an injury.”

The federation also confirmed that Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel and United Arab Emirates-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola would not take part after their clubs prevented them from joining up with the national team.

“Midfielder Raphael Onyedika was denied permission to travel to Russia by his German club, Eintracht Frankfurt,” the statement added.

“Defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, who plays in the United Arab Emirates, were blocked by their respective clubs.”

The number of absences left Nigeria manager Chelle short of options, prompting him to call up Moses Usor at short notice.

Usor scored his first goal for the Super Eagles in their 2-1 victory over Madagascar. However, he will also miss the meeting with Russia after Austrian club LASK declined to release the forward, prioritising his return ahead of their next fixtures.