Ronaldo, Iwobi in spotlight as Super Eagles face Portugal in Leiria

Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Portugal’s Seleção das Quinas will trade tackles in the central Portugese town of Leiria on Wednesday in what promises to be a fierce encounter in all ramifications, despite its tag of a friendly.

Coaches Éric Chelle and Roberto Martinez have their different reasons for not wanting to lose, with the latter aiming to extend an unbeaten run that will instil a winning mentality in his squad ahead of the FIFA World Cup finals, and the former unwilling to surrender a brilliant record with Nigeria since taking over the Eagles’ dugout 15 months ago.

In that period, Franco-Malian Chelle has overseen 24 matches, losing only once in regulation time – a pre-Africa Cup of Nations friendly in Cairo in December 2025 that he executed with an understrength squad.

Martinez, a wise old cock in the game, has taken his team through a four-match unbeaten streak during which they defeated USA and Chile, and drew with Mexico. Their last defeat was a two-goal reverse against the Republic of Ireland seven months ago.

Wednesday’s encounter against three-time African champions Nigeria will be the Seleção das Quinas’ final preparatory game before they take on the Democratic Republic of Congo in their first match of Group K at the FIFA World Cup.

Martinez has expressed confidence going into tomorrow’s send-forth encounter, considering that he has all his aces with him including five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, goalkeeper Diogo Jota, defenders Nélson Semedo, Rúben Dias and Diogo Dalot, midfielders Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and João Neves, and forwards João Félix, Gonçalo Guedes and Rafael Leão.

Against Chile at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon on Saturday, Manchester United of England’s Bruno Fernandes scored a spectacular goal after supplying the assist for Guedes to score the opener.

There have not been too many encounters between both countries at senior level, but on 17th November 2022, Portugal spanked the Super Eagles 4-0 in a friendly at Lisbon’s Estádio José Alvalade. Portugal’s U20 team also denied Nigeria the trophy at the 1989 FIFA U20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, with the Flying Eagles suffering a 2-0 reverse in the final.

Chelle will not be concerned by all these as he sends his team out tomorrow at the 29,000-capacity Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria – a city halfway between Lisbon and Porto.

Before kick-off, Nigeria will honour midfielder Alexander Iwobi as the Trojan collects his 100th senior cap – an inspiration and occasion for him to exert dominion in the middle against Martinez’s World Cup-bound stars.

Even as he will be missing star strikers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Chelle is focusing on his squad with confidence with the arrival of the mercurial Samuel Chukwueze (who missed the clash with Poland), the experience of Moses Simon, the forms of Paul Onuachu, Akor Adams and Terem Moffi, and the promising output of Philip Otele at the Unity Cup in London and the friendly against Poland in Warsaw last week.

Wing-back Abdullahi Bewene had a dream debut against the White-and-Red in Warsaw, and could start on Wednesday against the das Quinas, in the absence of Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Centre-back Igoh Ogbu departed the team camp on Tuesday morning due to injury, but Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey and Scotland-based Emmanuel Fernandez are all up for the big tie. Bruno Onyemaechi and Zaidu Sanusi are both available for the left wing-back role.

Captain Wilfred Ndidi will join Iwobi and any of Frank Onyeka, Tochukwu Nnadi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika in the middle. And there is also the promising young KRC Genk midfielder Christian Akpan.

Wednesday’s game will kick off at 8.45pm Portugal time – same time as in Nigeria.