By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has made key adjustments to Nigeria’s senior national team squad ahead of their international friendly against Russia, scheduled for Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
The changes follow Nigeria’s successful outing at the Unity Cup in England, where the team defeated Ghana 2-1 and edged Jamaica in a 5-4 penalty shootout to lift the trophy.
Among the notable additions to the squad is Saviour Isaac, who has received his first senior call-up and is expected to make his international debut during the current window.
Isaac joins a squad largely made up of players who featured in the Unity Cup, including Sodiq, who played the full 90 minutes in both matches, and Sikiru Alimi, one of the standout home-based players in the tournament.
The squad has already arrived in Moscow as Chelle continues to assess his options and build cohesion ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming competitive fixtures, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers.
The friendly against Russia marks another step in Chelle’s rebuilding process as he seeks to blend experienced internationals with emerging talent in the Super Eagles setup.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
