Nigeria Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has revealed that Wednesday's friendly against the Super Eagles presents Portugal with a valuable opportunity to study the style and physicality of an African opponent ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 group K opener against DR Congo.

Speaking at Tuesday's pre-match press conference, Chelle acknowledged that Portugal's motivation for the fixture goes beyond a routine warm-up.

"It is not a lack of respect, we cannot compare Nigeria and DR Congo, I don't think about who is the best team, I think about the style of the philosophy. I think they want to play an African team maybe because of the intensity of the game, when I speak about that I speak about physicality. So this is a good opportunity for Portugal to play against us because we have already played DR Congo in the World Cup qualifying playoffs and lost on penalties, so maybe they want to see the way they will play against them."

A tough test for both sides

The two nations have met just once before at senior men's level — a friendly in 2022 that ended in a 4-0 victory for Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge. Chelle was candid about that result but refused to let it cast a shadow over his squad's preparations.

"Of course four years ago we lost 4-0 so now maybe we are scared — no, this is not a question about that. The most important goal and objective is to improve in every game; we have to go to the game with a great state of mind and our philosophy of course," he said.

Big occasion, bigger ambitions

Portugal are in World Cup group K alongside DR Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia, and open their campaign against DR Congo on June 17. For Chelle, the prospect of lining up against a potential world champion only sharpens his focus on his own team's development.

"We will play against a big team who can become World Cup champions. This is a big team with many big players and we are very happy to have this chance to play them," the coach added.

Echoing comments made by midfielder Wilfred Ndidi at the same press conference, Chelle stressed that the result on Wednesday matters less than the manner of the performance. "This is not about the result," he insisted, underlining his commitment to building a cohesive playing identity ahead of the World Cup.