IN NIGERIA
Super Eagles head coach, Éric Chelle says his players are highly motivated to return to winning ways when Nigeria face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday.
Nigeria will field a largely second-string squad against Russia, with several regular players unavailable for the encounter.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi and Basel defender Victory Akpe are ruled out through injury, while Bright Osayi-Samuel, Raphael Onyedika and Ridwan Popoola were not released by their respective clubs for the trip.
Moses Usor, who scored on his Super Eagles debut against Madagascar in Uyo, was initially left out of the squad before being called up for the Russia friendly, but his Austrian club, LASK, subsequently instructed him not to travel.
Slavia Prague midfielder Suleiman Mubarak also missed the trip after his residence permit was not secured in time.
Chelle acknowledged the difficulties surrounding player availability but insisted his team remains determined to put on a strong performance against Russia.
The Franco-Malian coach also reflected on the defeat to Guinea-Bissau, identifying a lack of intensity as one of the reasons for the loss.
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Super Eagles winger, Moses Simon says he and his teammates did not travel for long hours to Russia just to lose in Tuesday’s international friendly game.
Simon is one of the few experienced player in the current 19-man squad for the tie as the likes of captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Raphael Onyedika withdrew due to injury and club clearance issues.
The 30-year-old Paris FC star is expected to captain the side on Tuesday.
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Super Eagles star, Kelechi Iheanacho has opened up on his return to the Super Eagles as the team prepares to face Russia in Tuesday’s international friendly game.
Iheanacho returned to the Super Eagles after more than a year out, and he says his love for the green-white-green has never faded.
After helping Celtic win the league and Cup double last season, while on loan from Sevilla, Iheanacho surprisingly joined Turkish second division club Bursaspor.
His impressive performance forced Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle to name him in his squad for the friendly match with Russia.
Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has named a 25-man squad for the WAFU B Under-seventeen Championship.
Uwejamomere’s squad comprises three goalkeepers, seven defenders, eight midfielders and seven forwards.
Five-time world champions Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside Niger Republic and hosts Burkina Faso in the regional championship, which serves as a qualifying tournament for next year’s Under-seventeen Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Group A features Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic, who will battle for a place in the knockout stages.
The Eaglets are scheduled to depart Nigeria on Tuesday and will have eight days to fine-tune their tactical and technical preparations ahead of their opening match on 14th October.
The trio of Super Falcons stars Asisat Oshoala, Ashleigh Plumptre and Oluwatosin Demehin have withdrawn from Nigeria’s 2028 Olympic Games qualifier against Comoros.
Oshoala requested to be excused from the fixture and has been replaced by Belarus-based former Falconets forward Blessing Okpe.
Plumptre, meanwhile, has been ruled out after sustaining a ligament injury.
Demehin and forward Flourish Sabastine will also miss the fixture as they continue their resident permit processes.
In addition, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Favour Nkwocha have been released from the Super Falcons camp to join the Flamingos ahead of the 2026 FIFA Under-seventeen Women’s World Cup.
The Super Falcons began preparations for the Olympic qualifier on Monday, with fourteen players taking part in the training session.
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Nigeria’s Sand Eagles have suffered a six-four defeat to Senegal in their second friendly at the Murtala Muhammed Square Beach Soccer Pitch in Kaduna State.
The result means Senegal completed a double over the hosts, having also recorded a six-four victory in the first friendly game.
The two friendly matches are part of the Sand Eagles’ preparations for their CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Ghana later this month.
Nigeria will host Ghana in the first leg of the qualifying tie at the Murtala Muhammed Square Beach Soccer Pitch in Kaduna on Saturday, 10th October, before travelling to Accra for the return leg on Saturday, 17th October.
The winner over the two legs will earn a place at the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations.
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The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has fined Inter Lagos five point two-five million naira and deducted them three points and three goals, following attacks on match officials after Sunday’s one-all draw with visiting Katsina United
This was disclosed in a statement by the NPFL on their X handle on Monday.
The league said the Lagos club failed to provide adequate and effective security during their home game, thereby allowing unauthorised persons to gain access to restricted areas leading to attacks on the match officials who were proceeding from the dressing room to their vehicle.
The league said Inter Lagos also failed to ensure proper conduct of their officials and supporters, leading to the match officials being held hostage for more than an hour after the match.
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Rangers International striker, Godwin Obaje, says his next target is to win the prestigious CAF Champions League title with the Flying Antelopes before calling time on his career.
Obaje entered the record books after hitting one hundred NPFL goals and was widely celebrated by the nine-time Nigerian champions during the 2026/2027 Euromatch–NPFL Matchday 7 game between Rangers and Abia Warriors.
Obaje won two NPFL titles, both with Rangers, in 2023/2024 and 2025/2026.
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IN ENGLAND
Bournemouth is unhappy with the way they believe England handled the injury to midfielder Alex Scott which means he could now be out for up to eight weeks.
Scott withdraw from the England squad to face the Czech Republic in the Nations League on Tuesday with a thigh injury.
He felt the issue prior to Saturday’s seven-nil win over Croatia, but played seventy minutes in central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson before being substituted.
England coach Thomas Tuchel described Scott’s injury as a strange one in his Monday news conference.
The 23-year-old is now set to be out for six to eight weeks with the quadriceps issue.
The teenage forward JJ Gabriel has been included in Manchester United’s official team photo for this season but there remains no hint of a reconciliation with the club as new details of his efforts to leave Old Trafford emerge.
The teenage forward – who turns 16 on Tuesday, features in the photographs that were released on Monday.
It is understood the pictures were taken on 8th September, two days before he played his final game for the club and informed them of his intention to leave.
Gabriel is now a target for several of Europe’s top clubs, with Real Madrid and Barcelona among those taking a keen interest.
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Former Chelsea and Arsenal winger Willian has delivered a scathing assessment of his time at the Emirates Stadium, admitting that he regretted crossing the London divide almost immediately after walking through the door.
The Brazilian veteran revealed that assurances made by manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu quickly dissolved into frustration, leaving him miserable despite the lucrative three-year contract on the table.
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OTHER LEAGUES
France has scored four goals in the final thirteen minutes to come from behind to beat Belgium four-one in the Nations League as Zinedine Zidane maintained his unbeaten start in charge.
Dodi Lukebakio scored Belgium’s opening goal after running on to Romeo Lavia’s brilliant 60-yard through ball before beating France debutant keeper Guillaume Restes.
Michael Olise scored a brace, while Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki.
France top Group A1 with ten points from four games, while Mark van Bommel’s Belgium are third on six points.
Italy moved up to second place in the group with a three-one home win over Turkey.
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Northern Ireland remain the only team to not concede in the 2026-27 Uefa Nations League, but could not find the net in a goalless draw with Georgia after Isaac Price missed a late penalty for the home side.
Michael O’Neill’s outfit came close in the first half of the Group B2 contest when Patrick Kelly found himself through on goal but he hesitated, which gave Georgia time to clear their lines.
The result is NI’s second goalless draw at home and means they remain top of the group, one point ahead of Hungary in second.
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Scotland head coach, Sebastien Pocognoli says it is too early to be concerned about missed chances and has backed his strikers to find the net in a game they have to win against Slovenia at Hampden Park on Tuesday.
It ends a four-game international window during which the Scots have drawn in Slovenia, lost at home to Switzerland then handed the Belgian his first win in charge in North Macedonia.
Now Slovenia, who themselves lost in Switzerland on Saturday after winning at home to North Macedonia, arrive leading Pocognoli’s side on goal difference in Nations League Group B1.
OTHER SPORTS
Former heavyweight contender Dave Allen has offered a sharp and uncompromising prediction for the December 11 blockbuster between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, tipping “The Gypsy King” to settle the long-awaited feud in a rapid, decisive finish.
Speaking on his expectations for the Cardiff clash, Allen believes that recent mileage, inactivity, and defensive vulnerabilities spell serious danger for Joshua.
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In Tennis, Rafael Nadal has clarified the reason behind Roger Federer’s notable absence from the grand celebration marking a major milestone for the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.
Nadal dismissed any speculation, pointing purely to scheduling conflicts.
He revealed that Federer had already made a private trip to Mallorca earlier in the summer to tour the facilities and the museum
Despite Federer’s absence on the day, Nadal expressed immense gratitude for the stellar turnout of tennis icons who came together to celebrate the academy’s enduring legacy.
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In Formula one, Williams driver Carlos Sainz says Formula one needs to have a hard look at itself in the wake of unprecedented software glitches that affected Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
A bug in the software for a wet-weather engine map led to a number of cars struggling to move on formation laps before the start of the race.
Sainz, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said it was clear the regulations are extremely complicated for the drivers, for the teams, for the power units and for the manufacturers.
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In Cricket, England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson says England have learned from the mistakes of their Ashes defeat in booking a 50-over warm-up before their white-ball tour of Australia this winter.
Brendon McCullum’s white-ball side will play a Western Australia XI at the Waca in Perth on 7th November, six days before their one-day international series begins.
The Test team were heavily criticised for only having one in-house warm-up before last winter’s dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat.
McCullum, who has since been sacked as Test coach but remains in charge of the white-ball sides, admitted during the Ashes that mistakes may have been made with preparation.
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In Golf, Robert MacIntyre may have played his final event of the season because of ongoing uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East.
Scotland’s top golfer finished tied for sixth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday, having won the title twelve months ago.
The 30-year-old will not play in this week’s Spanish Open and currently has no plans to compete in India or South Korea before the DP World Tour’s season-ending events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November.
MacIntyre said he would wait to see how conflicts in the Middle East develop before deciding whether to play in either event.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
Croatia vs Spain
England vs Czech Republic
Scotland vs Slovenia
Switzerland vs North Macedonia
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Behind every kick of a ball, there has to be a thought… words from Denis Bergkamp.
