Eagles hope to bounce back from Guinea-Bissau loss

The Super Eagles aim to finish the mixed international break with a positive note as they face Russia in a friendly match at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday. The team, led by Eric Chelle, had a 2-1 win over Madagascar earlier in the week but suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Striker Akor Adams stated that Chelle has demanded the team to beat Russia despite being without several key players such as Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Nigeria’s preparations faced issues with late withdrawals and non-releases, including Ndidi’s injury and Eintracht Frankfurt refusing to release Onyedika for the fixture. Kelechi Iheanacho, who has impressed in Turkey, is expected to return to the starting line-up after more than 16 months out of the national team. Chelle's squad expanded to 19 players following the late arrival of Ibrahim Ajasa, who joined the team in Nizhny Novgorod.

Russia, who have won their last two matches, including a 6-0 win over Namibia, will also be without key players Aleksandr Golovin and Dmitry Vorobyov. Dynamo Moscow's Konstantin Tyukavin, who scored in the Namibia match, remains a significant threat. Russian football expert Vitaly Dyakov believes that Nigeria's pace, physical strength and defensive organization could pose a challenge for the hosts.

Former USSR and Russia midfielder Alexander Mostovoy, however, sees the weakened Nigerian squad as nothing new for the Super Eagles, stating that it won't be their first time without stars.