Super Eagles latest news today: Russia, Nigeria lose players ahead of friendly, Zadok Yohanna joins elite list

Welcome to your daily rundown of Super Eagles news. Today’s agenda is packed: Russia and Nigeria are scrambling after losing star players ahead of their showdown, while Zadok Yohanna has just etched his name onto an elite list.

Here, Afrik-Foot breaks down the biggest stories dominating Nigerian football right now.

Super Eagles News LIVE:

Headache For Eric Chelle Ahead of Russia vs Super Eagles

The Super Eagles of Nigeria face Russia in an international friendly game on Tuesday in Novgorod, but the fixture will be watered down due to the absence of several key players.

The hosts, Russia, will be without two of their best players in Matvey Safonov and Aleksandr Golovin. The former returned to PSG on Saturday to resume preparation ahead of the restart of club football, while Golovin sustained a slight injury and has returned to Monaco as a result.

Things Nigeria should know about Russia goalkeeper Matvey Safonov ahead of the Super Eagles’ friendly against Russia #RUSNGA

Read more ⤵️https://t.co/esULLtUTFQ

— Afrik-Foot NG (@AfrikFootNG) October 3, 2026

For Nigeria, it is even worse. When coach Eric Chelle revealed his squad list for this game, it was clear that he wanted to use it to test new players. He invited 24 players to their Russia camp, but only 18 have arrived and trained as at Sunday night.

With the game against Russia coming up on Tuesday, Chelle faces a major selection headache.

Zadok Yohanna Joins Elite List of Players

Nigerian attacker Zadok Yohanna is among the top five most valuable under-20 players in Africa.

The 19-year-old winger only just burst onto the limelight this year at AIK, and it earned him a remarkable move to English Premier League club Brighton in the summer transfer window.

That deal was one of the biggest for a Nigerian player in the summer.

In a fresh development, Transfermarkt, a global platform that estimates the values of players based on several metrics like leagues, age, and performances have rated the highest valued African youngsters. Read more here.