Chelle Names Two Different Squads for AFCON Qualifiers, Russia Friendly
Chelle selects extended squad for Russia Friendly fixture
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has named two different Chelle squads for Nigeria’s upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and October international friendly against Russia.
Chelle selected 24 players for the AFCON qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with the Super Eagles scheduled to face Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau four days later.
Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi headline the squad for the two competitive matches. Stanley Nwabali, Maduka Okoye and Arthur Okonkwo were picked as the goalkeepers.
The defensive options include Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Bruno Onyemaechi, Isaac James, Benjamin Fredricks, Emmanuel Fernandez, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi and Chibuike Nwaiwu.
For the Russia friendly, Chelle has gone with a significantly different group, although some players from the AFCON squad have retained their places.
Nwabali, Isaac James, Fredricks, Fernandez, Osayi-Samuel and Ndidi are among those included in both squads, while Moses Simon and Akor Adams also feature on both lists.
The Russia squad also contains several less familiar names, with Chibuzor Atata and Samuel James joining Nwabali in goal. Kenneth Igboke, Victory Akpe and Abdullahi Bewane are additional defensive selections.
Chelle has also brought in Chibuzo Nwoko, Fumen Michael, Georges Wilfred, Popoola Abdulrasaq, Suleiman Mubarak, Jacob Adeoye and Raphael Onyendika in midfield, while Kelechi Iheanacho, Edokpolor Peter, Umar Abubakar and Abdullahi Umar are among the forwards.
The decision to use two separate squads gives Chelle the opportunity to manage his players across the competitive AFCON qualifiers and the subsequent friendly against Russia.
It also provides the coach with a chance to assess a wider pool of players while maintaining a core group of established internationals across both assignments.