Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has issued a fierce rallying cry ahead of Nigeria’s June friendlies against Poland and Portugal, declaring that his side will travel to Europe not to participate but to win, despite being without several key players, including Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, The PUNCH reports.
Chelle, who guided the Super Eagles to Unity Cup glory with a victory over Jamaica in London, made his intentions clear when asked about the upcoming tests against two World Cup-bound nations.
“No, we go definitely to make a fight, to make a war,” Chelle told the NFF media.
“If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. But if we lose, they have to work on us. They have to beat us, beat us to win these two games.”
The Franco-Malian coach acknowledged the calibre of the opposition, describing Poland as “a good team” while reserving special praise for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, a squad that also boasts Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and João Neves, saying, “Portugal are maybe the best team in the world, so this is a great challenge for us.”
Yet far from using the absence of key players as an excuse, Chelle doubled down on his ambition.
“I want to go in their country, in their own country, to beat them. Because I’m sad I don’t go to the World Cup, maybe it will be something very good for me,” he added.
Nigeria head into the fixtures without Osimhen, Lookman and Unity Cup standout Femi Azeez, among others.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi, alongside stars Moses Simon and Akor Adams, joined the rest of the squad on Monday in Warsaw ahead of Wednesday’s international friendly against Poland.
According to the team’s media officer, Promise Efoghe, 18 players arrived in Poland, but only 16 took part in the session.
The players in camp include goalkeepers Maduka Okoye, Francis Uzoho and Arthur Okonkwo.
Ndidi, Simon and Adams are joined by Paul Onuachu, Terem Moffi, who captained the team in London, Tochukwu Nnadi, Emmanuel Fernandez, Semi Ajayi, Rafiu Durosinmi, Zaidu Sanusi, Igho Ogbu, Raphael Onyedika, Frank Onyeka, Bruno Onyemaechi and Banik Ostrava midfielder Abdullahi Ibrahim.
Since Chelle took charge of the Super Eagles, Nigeria have gone 19 games unbeaten, scoring 37 goals and conceding 14, a run that included a third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The back-to-back friendlies against European heavyweights on their own soil represent a significant step up in class, and Chelle appears determined to use the occasion to measure exactly how far his side have come.
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