Iwobi ready for big matches against Portugal and Poland

Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has said he is fit and ready for Nigeria’s friendly matches against Poland and Portugal in June. This is good news for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle as these games will be tough tests for him, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Iwobi had some injury worries after hurting his hamstring against Brentford in April. But the 30-year-old has recovered and played in Fulham’s last two Premier League games. He confirmed he is in good shape for the upcoming international matches.

“I’m grateful to be back fit after injury,” Iwobi said on the Alexander Yaa Digg podcast.

“I was able to finish the season feeling good. Of course, I’ve got to get ready for the international break, but I have a little time off to refresh.”

His being available is very important as many players have withdrawn from the squad. Victor Osimhen is out for personal reasons. Ademola Lookman, Femi Azeez, Samson Tijani, Alhassan Yusuf, and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro are also not available. This leaves Chelle needing to change his plans a lot.

If Iwobi plays in the first match against Poland in Warsaw, he will earn his 100th cap for the Super Eagles. He will then become only the fourth Nigerian player to reach this milestone, joining Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama, and Ahmed Musa.

The former Arsenal academy player became cap-tied to Nigeria in March 2016. He looked back on a season that had its highs and lows before speaking about the challenge of playing against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland at their home ground.

“The 2025/26 season has wrapped up, a season of ups and downs. Of course, we wanted to secure a European spot, but it wasn’t meant to be. Nonetheless, we’ve got to be proud of what we achieved and how far Fulham has come as a club,” he said.

Iwobi also reflected on Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. He said the team’s goals will keep growing from here.

“When you go to a tournament, you want to win it, but to achieve third place in a tough competition is still credit to ourselves. We always strive to achieve more. Hopefully, next season we can do that. I can do that again personally as well, personally try to get more stats, more goals,” he added.