The coach blames a lack of intensity for the 3-0 loss in Bissau and wants a new-look Nigeria to show it against Russia. Injuries and club refusals have stripped his squad of several regulars.
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Eric Chelle says the Super Eagles are motivated to return to winning ways against Russia on Tuesday, October 6, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The coach spoke at Monday’s pre-match press conference, a week after the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria will field a largely second-string group. Captain Wilfred Ndidi and Basel defender Victory Akpe are out injured, while Bright Osayi-Samuel, Raphael Onyedika and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were not released by their clubs.
Moses Usor scored on his Super Eagles debut against Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 and was called up again, but LASK told him not to travel. Slavia Prague midfielder Suleiman Mubarak also missed the trip because his residence permit was not ready in time.
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Chelle Points to Intensity
Chelle was direct about Bissau. He told reporters, “This is not the same team,” and put the defeat down to poor intensity.
He admitted that club politics have made his job harder, because some clubs simply don’t want to release players. The coach says he has to manage that, and sees the Russia game as a chance for new faces to show what they can do.
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The Russia Test
Chelle expects a hard night. He says Russia press aggressively whenever they lose the ball, and he wants Nigeria to match that edge. If his players do, he says he will be a happy man.
Russia go into the game unbeaten in their last four matches, so the hosts will not lack confidence. The Eagles, by contrast, arrive with questions to answer.
Who will grab the chance when a regular is missing? That’s what makes this friendly more interesting than the lack of qualifying points suggests.
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📌 Did You Know?
- Nigeria and Russia last met on June 6, 2025 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, a 1-1 draw. Russia led through a Semi Ajayi own goal, and Tolu Arokodare equalised in the 71st minute.
- The Nizhny Novgorod Stadium holds 44,000 people and hosted matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Nigeria are ranked 26th in the world and Russia 35th, according to the current FIFA rankings.
- Chelle favours a 4-4-2 diamond, which gives Nigeria four central midfielders and two strikers.
- Neither Nigeria nor Russia played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Before the AFCON qualifiers, Nigeria drew 2-2 with Poland in Warsaw and lost 2-1 to Portugal in Leiria.
