Osimhen’s absence huge loss for Nigeria — Kaita

Former Nigeria international Sani Kaita has described Victor Osimhen’s absence as a “huge loss” for the Super Eagles ahead of their friendly against Russia in October, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Osimhen will miss the encounter as he continues his recovery from injury, with Kaita acknowledging the striker’s importance while insisting Nigeria still have enough attacking quality 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.

The Super Eagles will face Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6, in their second meeting with the Russians in 16 months. Their previous encounter in Moscow in June 2025 ended 1-1.

Several other established Nigeria internationals are also set to miss the October friendly, including Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, Samuel Chukwueze and Ola Aina.

While Kaita believes Nigeria can cope with the absences, he expects Russia to have the edge on home soil, predicting a 2-1 victory for the hosts.

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“I’m confident it will be a top-notch match. My prediction for the game is 2-1 for Russia,” he said.

Kaita, who won a silver medal with Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games, has strong links with Russian football, having played for Kuban Krasnodar, Lokomotiv Moscow and Alania Vladikavkaz during his career.

The former midfielder also welcomed the continued football relationship between Nigeria and Russia, describing himself as an admirer of the Russian people and culture.

“In Nigeria, they understand that the Russian national team is a serious opponent, and we know how high-quality the Russian team is,” Kaita said.

The October friendly will come one week after Nigeria’s second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau and will provide head coach Éric Chelle with another opportunity to assess his squad.