Days after retaining the Unity Cup, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have turned their attention to the friendly matches against Portugal and Poland as they build up to the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later in the year.
A total of 18 players, including the captain of the team, Wilfred Ndidi, have reported to camp ahead of the match-up against Poland in Warsaw on Wednesday night.
The training camp opened in the Polish capital on Monday, June 1, with manager Eric Chelle overseeing 16 of the 18 players during the evening session. The remaining invitees include goalkeepers Maduka Okoye, Francis Uzoho, and Arthur Okonkwo; defenders Emmanuel Fernandez, Semi Ajayi, Zaidu Sanusi, Igoh Ogbu, and Bruno Onyemaechi; midfielders Tochukwu Nnadi and Raphael Onyedika; and forwards Moses Simon, Akor Adams, Terem Moffi, and Rafiu Durosinmi. As of 18:47 Nigerian time, Abdullahi Ibrahim also reported to camp, boosting the squad size ahead of Wednesday’s friendly.
Unfortunately, a series of withdrawals has hit the squad before the Poland game. Marquee forwards Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen are unavailable due to personal reasons and club commitments, respectively.
Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Femi Azeez, and Samson Tijani, who featured in the Unity Cup, will also not be available for the fixtures due to various reasons.
The Super Eagles launched their summer schedule with a comfortable 2–0 victory over Zimbabwe on May 26, before retaining the Unity Cup four days later with a commanding 3–0 win over Jamaica at The Valley in London.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will take on Poland only for the second time ever, having won the first meeting 1-0 in 2018 courtesy of Victor Moses’ second-half penalty.
Neither team will be at the World Cup, but will seize the opportunity to try new players, improve their FIFA ranking, and also prepare for upcoming international matches later in the year.
