Nigeria’s senior men’s national team has kicked off preparations for their upcoming international friendly against the Portugal National Football Team, holding their first training session in Lisbon on Friday night.
A total of 22 players participated in the workout as head coach Eric Chelle continued fine-tuning his squad ahead of the high-profile encounter.
Among the latest arrivals to camp were midfield star Alex Iwobi, winger Samuel Chukwueze, and defender Christian Akpan, boosting the squad ahead of Tuesday’s showdown.
Nigeria will face Portugal in Lisbon on June 10 as part of preparations for upcoming international assignments, including the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles head into the fixture in positive spirits following their 2-2 draw against Poland National Football Team in an international friendly on Wednesday.
Before that encounter, the three-time African champions claimed the Unity Cup title for a fourth time after an impressive victory over the Jamaica National Football Team in London.
The match against Portugal is expected to provide another stern test for Chelle’s side as the coaching staff continues to evaluate players, strengthen team chemistry, and build momentum ahead of future competitive fixtures.
With several key players now in camp and preparations underway, the Super Eagles will be looking to deliver another strong performance against one of Europe’s traditional football powers.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
