Former Nigeria international Sani Kaita has described Victor Osimhen’s absence as a major setback for the Super Eagles ahead of their international friendly against Russia on October 6.
Osimhen is continuing his recovery from a muscle injury and is not included in Nigeria’s squad for the friendly in Nizhny Novgorod. Kaita acknowledged the striker’s importance but said Nigeria still have enough attacking options to cope with his absence.
“Of course, Osimhen’s absence is a huge loss for our team. However, Nigeria has other high-level players who can replace him, and the coaching staff has a variety of attacking options,” Kaita told Championat.
Nigeria will face Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6. The fixture will be the second meeting between both countries in 16 months after their previous encounter in Moscow ended 1-1 in June 2025.
Osimhen is not the only established Super Eagles player expected to miss the October friendly. Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, Samuel Chukwueze and Ola Aina are also among the players left out of the squad for the fixture.
The absences mean head coach Éric Chelle will have an opportunity to assess other players and strengthen the squad’s depth ahead of future international assignments.
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Despite acknowledging Nigeria’s attacking options, Kaita believes Russia could benefit from playing at home. The former midfielder predicted a 2-1 victory for the hosts while describing the encounter as a potentially high-quality match.
“I’m confident it will be a top-notch match. My prediction for the game is 2-1 for Russia,” he said.
Kaita has particular links to Russian football, having played for Kuban Krasnodar, Lokomotiv Moscow and Alania Vladikavkaz during his career. He also welcomed the continued football relationship between Nigeria and Russia and described the Russian national team as a serious opponent.
The friendly will take place one week after Nigeria’s second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
The October encounter will give Chelle another chance to examine his options as Nigeria prepare for their upcoming competitive fixtures.