Nigeria will face Russia in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday, 6 October, with seven players unavailable because of injuries, club decisions, and a travel document issue.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe are out through injury, according to the Nigeria Football Federation. The NFF said clubs did not release Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, and Moses Usor. Suleiman Mubarak could not travel because his residence permit had not been secured.
The federation named 18 players in Russia when it issued its squad update on 4 October and said late invitee Ibraheem Ajasa was expected to join them. Punch subsequently reported that Ajasa had arrived, putting the available squad at 19 as of Tuesday morning.
Players reported available
Goalkeepers: Michael Atata, Samuel James, Stanley Nwabali.
Defenders: Kenneth Igboke, Isaac James, Benjamin Fredricks, Emmanuel Fernandez, Abdullahi Bewene.
Midfielders: Chibuzo Nwoke, Stephen Michael, Igor Wilfred, Aderemi Adeoye.
Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Akor Adams, Peter Edokpolor, Abubakar Umar, Abdullahi Umar, Ibraheem Ajasa.
The friendly follows Nigeria’s 3–0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Punch reports that kick-off is scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time. Nigeria and Russia drew 1–1 when they last met in June 2025.
The withdrawals were also reported by Soccernet. The starting line-up and substitutes should be checked against the official matchday announcement before publication.
