Eagles aim to bounce back against Russia after Guinea-Bissau loss

The Super Eagles will try to finish their international break on a high when they face Russia in a friendly match on Tuesday at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 6pm Nigerian time.

Eric Chelle’s team started the break well with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar. But they faced a tough setback, losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. Now, Nigeria is eager to regain their winning ways against the Russians.

Striker Akor Adams revealed that Chelle has told the team to win against Russia. This comes even though the Super Eagles will miss some key players, including captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

“There are a lot of new boys in the squad, but it’s still the Super Eagles,” Adams said in an interview with NFF TV.

“The coach has made it clear, we have to win. Russia are a good team. They’re hungry to play games because of their peculiar situation (FIFA ban). For us, it is to give our best, come out with a good result and a good performance.”

Nigeria's preparations have faced challenges due to late withdrawals and some players not being released. Ndidi is out with an injury, and Eintracht Frankfurt did not let Onyedika play. Maduka Okoye, who was not called up initially because he did not play against Madagascar or Guinea-Bissau, will also miss the friendly.

Kelechi Iheanacho is likely to return to the starting line-up after missing the last AFCON qualifiers. The Bursaspor forward has been in great form in Turkey, scoring 11 goals in eight matches. He may lead an attack with Moses Simon and Adams.

He is back in the national team after being away for more than 16 months and is excited for the match against Russia.

“I am really happy to be here, and I will enjoy it with the boys, and hopefully we will have a very lovely outing on Tuesday,” Iheanacho said in an interview with the Super Eagles media team.

Chelle’s squad has grown to 19 players after Ibrahim Ajasa arrived late. He got a call-up when some players became unavailable. Ajasa joined the team in Nizhny Novgorod, alongside Stanley Nwabali, Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Frederick, Kenneth Igboke, Chibuzor Nwoko, Umar Abubakar, Peter Edokpolor, Abdullahi Bewene, Umar Abdullai, Atata Michael, Aderemi Adeoye, Isaac James, and Michael Stephen.

On the other hand, Russia comes into the game after winning their last two matches against Iran and Namibia, including a big 6-0 win over Namibia on Saturday. The home team will also miss some key players. Aleksandr Golovin is out with an ankle injury, and Krasnodar striker Dmitry Vorobyov has left the camp. Konstantin Tyukavin from Dynamo Moscow remains a major threat after scoring in the win over Namibia. He has four goals and an assist in seven league games this season.

Despite the changes on both sides, Russian football expert Vitaly Dyakov thinks that Nigeria’s speed, strength, and defence could make things tough for the home team.

“Even if they don’t field their starting lineup, I think it’s going to be a tough game for us,” Dyakov told Euro-Football.

“Besides their speed and physical fitness, they’re also excellent at defending. If you watch the African Championship, many of them end 0-0 or 1-0. If the Nigerians lock down, it’ll be hard to break them down.”

Dyakov added that the Super Eagles will be a tougher test than Namibia. “We’ll finally be playing a strong opponent, but as I understand it, it won’t be our full squad. Overall, they’re one of the best teams on their continent.”

Former USSR and Russia midfielder Alexander Mostovoy, however, downplayed fears about Nigeria's weakened squad. He said that playing without top players is normal for the Super Eagles.

“It’ll be interesting to watch this game. We’re riding high right now, we’re crushing Namibia! What else can we do?” he told Sport-Express.

“Will the Nigerian team be without any stars? That’s their right. It’s not the first time this has happened.”

Nigeria and Russia have only met once before, and that friendly ended in a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in June 2025. Russia took the lead through a Semi Ajayi own goal, but Tolu Arokodare equalized with his first goal for Nigeria in the 71st minute. For Tuesday’s rematch, over 38,000 tickets have been sold for the 41,300-capacity stadium.