Nigeria Vs Russia: Eric Chelle Names Experimental Super Eagles Lineup

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has named Nigeria’s starting lineup for the international friendly against Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.

The match, scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m., will provide Chelle with an opportunity to assess several players, with four members of the squad set to make their senior international debuts.

Stanley James will start in goal, while Adeoye Adewale, Alhassan Bewene, Benjamin Fredrick and Isaac James will form the defensive line. Isaac James is expected to make his senior debut at left-back after impressing during his two seasons in the Portuguese top flight with Alverca.

Chelle has been forced to make several changes to his usual lineup due to the absence of a number of regular players. The situation has also given the coach an opportunity to assess players who could feature in his planned role as Nigeria’s U23 coach ahead of the Olympics.

In midfield, Igor Wilfred, Kelechi Iheanacho, Michael Stephen and Chibuzo Nwoko have been selected, with Iheanacho providing experience to an otherwise experimental squad.

Moses Simon will captain the Super Eagles as Nigeria seek to bounce back from their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their most recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture.

Nigeria’s starting XI consists of Stanley James, Adeoye Adewale, Alhassan Bewene, Benjamin Fredrick, Isaac James, Igor Wilfred, Kelechi Iheanacho, Michael Stephen, Chibuzo Nwoko, Moses Simon and Emmanuel Fernandez.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Russia have also named a strong lineup for the encounter, with Aleksandr Maksimenko starting in goal. Aleksei Batrakov, Matvey Kislyak, Aleksandr Miranchuk, Ivan Oblyakov and Aleksandr Sobolev are among the players included in the Russian starting XI.

The Super Eagles will be hoping to secure a positive result against a Russian side coming into the match on the back of a convincing 6-0 victory over Namibia.

Nigeria and Russia last faced each other in June 2025 in Moscow, where both teams played out a 1-1 draw.