Super Eagles: Why Ndidi, Onyedika and 5 others will not feature in Russia friendly

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle will be without seven players for Tuesday’s friendly against Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the withdrawals in an official statement on Monday, naming captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Usor, Akpe Victory, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola and Suleiman Mubarak as unavailable.

The depletion comes less than 48 hours before kick-off and leaves Chelle with a reshaped squad as Nigeria look to recover from last Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.

Afrik-Foot breaks down the reason behind each of the seven withdrawals.

Why 7 Super Eagles will miss the Russia friendly

Injury rules out Wilfred Ndidi & Akpe Victory

Captain Wilfred Ndidi has been ruled out of the Russia friendly after picking up a knock during last week’s 2027 AFCON qualifier defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.

The Besiktas midfielder was expected to lead the Super Eagles out at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, but the NFF confirmed on Monday that the knock was enough to keep him out of the trip.

Basel defender Akpe Victory has also been forced to withdraw from the squad after an injury.

“Captain Wilfred Ndidi was knocked out by a small knock sustained during last week’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau,” the NFF statement read.

“Switzerland-based defender Victory Akpe has been stopped from flying to Russia by injury.”

Club refusals block Onyedika, Osayi-Samuel, Popoola and Usor

The second wave of withdrawals comes from club-level refusals, with four Super Eagles call-ups blocked from flying to Russia by their respective employers.

Eintracht Frankfurt blocked Raphael Onyedika from travelling, refusing to release the midfielder for the friendly fixture.

Birmingham City have taken the same decision on Bright Osayi-Samuel, keeping the right-back at St Andrew’s as the Championship side manage their fixture schedule.

UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola was also blocked by his club, Al-Wasl.

The fourth club refusal is arguably the most painful for Chelle. Moses Usor, who scored on his Super Eagles debut in the 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo on 25 September, was handed a late call-up to replace one of the earlier withdrawals.

However, LASK of Austria have refused to release the forward, prioritising his return to the Linz-based club ahead of their upcoming domestic fixtures.

“Midfielder Raphael Onyedika was stopped from travelling to Russia by his German club, Eintracht Frankfurt. Defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were stopped by their clubs,” the statement added.

“Austria-based Moses Usor, who scored on his debut for Nigeria against Madagascar in Uyo on 25th September, not originally listed for the trip.

“However, when eventually he was requested by Head Coach Éric Chelle, LASK FC told him he should not fly to Russia.”

Residence permit setback keeps Mubarak out

Slavia Prague midfielder Suleiman Mubarak, who had been in line to make his Super Eagles debut against Russia, has been ruled out of the friendly due to residence permit issues.

The 19-year-old was unable to secure the paperwork required to travel to Russia, closing the door on what would have been his first senior Nigeria cap.

“Suleiman Mubarak, invited from Slavia Prague in Czechia, could not travel to Russia because his resident permit has not been secured,” the NFF statement concluded.

What the withdrawals mean for Chelle

The seven withdrawals leave Chelle with a reshaped squad for a fixture the Super Eagles head coach had earmarked as a chance to rebuild confidence after the Guinea-Bissau defeat.

The absence of Ndidi takes away the captain and midfield anchor, while Onyedika’s withdrawal removes the backup defensive-mid option that would have stepped in.

Osayi-Samuel’s absence leaves the right-back spot leaning further on Banik Ostrava’s Abdullahi Bewene, although Benjamin Fredrick can play the position as well.

Usor’s withdrawal denies Chelle the chance to build on the Madagascar matchwinner’s momentum, while Mubarak’s residence permit setback shuts down one of the planned Russia-friendly debuts.

Nigeria last met Russia in June 2025, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.