Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has expressed full confidence in his squad's ability to overcome Poland in Wednesday's international friendly at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw — even without the firepower of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.

Both players are among the headline absentees for the fixture, yet Chelle has made clear that the squad's collective strength more than compensates for their absence.

"I made this choice, dictated by personal reasons. But there are a lot of good players. It's not about one specific player who happens to be missing, but about a group that is ready for a match here and now," Chelle said, as quoted by przegladsportowy.onet.

Momentum from the Unity Cup

Nigeria arrive in Warsaw in strong form after a dominant run at the Unity Cup invitational in London last weekend. The three-time African champions came through the tournament unbeaten, winning both matches and registering five goals while keeping a clean sheet throughout.

Chelle indicated that the positive momentum has carried over into camp ahead of the Poland encounter. "Everyone knows what is important, everyone knows the game plan, you just have to implement it on the pitch. We are in good mental condition," he added.

Eyes on the future, not the World Cup

Both Nigeria and Poland will be absent from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off next week. Rather than dwell on that disappointment, Chelle urged his players to look ahead.

"That's football — now we must focus on our vision, strength and future. We have an interesting match ahead of us against a good team and we are glad that we are here," the coach said.

A performance for the fans

Chelle also extended his gratitude to Polish hosts for their warm reception and acknowledged the Nigerian community in Poland, who gathered at the airport to welcome the Super Eagles on arrival.

"We were very pleased. For fans in our country, we need to create a good spectacle and achieve the right result," he stated, underlining that the result matters as much as the performance for supporters back home.