Poland Friendly Offers Perfect Test for Super Eagles Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers, Says Chelle

Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has described Nigeria’s international friendly against Poland as a valuable opportunity to assess his squad and fine-tune tactical plans ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Nigeria will take on the Poles in Warsaw on Wednesday, with Chelle viewing the encounter as an important test against quality European opposition as the team continues its rebuilding process.

The Malian tactician admitted the Super Eagles are disappointed after missing out on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but insisted the focus must now shift to future objectives.

“We’re sad we’re not going to the World Cup, but that’s life,” Chelle said.

“We have to focus on our vision and strengths.”

Chelle also stressed that the friendly provides an ideal platform to experiment with different tactical approaches while evaluating the players available to him.

“The match against Poland, which is a difficult opponent, is a good opportunity to test a few different approaches,” he added.

The Super Eagles head into the game in a confident mood after their recent Unity Cup triumph and will be aiming to build further momentum ahead of the AFCON qualifying campaign, which is scheduled to begin later this year.

The friendly is expected to give Chelle and his coaching staff a clearer picture of the squad's readiness as Nigeria targets a successful qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.