Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi has insisted the Super Eagles will not be intimidated when they take on Portugal in Wednesday’s international friendly, despite the quality and experience available to the European giants, Soccernet.ng reports.
Portugal head into the game as clear favourites on home soil. Ranked fifth in the world, the former European champions are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and will use the match as their final major test before the tournament.
The Super Eagles, meanwhile, are in a different phase. Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup and are currently rebuilding under a new project aimed at returning the team to the highest level of international football.
Portugal will have several star names available, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes. Nigeria, however, will be without two of their biggest attacking threats, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
Despite those absences, Ndidi believes the Super Eagles can give a strong account of themselves and use the match as another important step in the team’s development.
“It will be a very good test for us,” Ndidi told reporters. “We made the first test against Poland and Portugal is a great team, a massive team with big players as well.”
“So, it will also be a very massive test for us as a group, for our vision, for our aim as a team, for our growth, it will be a very good test for us.”
Super Eagles Ndidi: “We believe in ourselves”
Ndidi stressed that Nigeria’s confidence does not depend on the reputation of the opposition, insisting the squad remains focused on its own style of play and long-term objectives.
“We believe in ourselves,” the former Leicester City midfielder said. “We don’t care who we’re playing even if we’re playing the likes of the biggest countries in the world. But the most important thing is we as players, we as team which is very important and we look forward to taking our philosophy and our strategy everything to the game.”
Ndidi also explained that the result against Portugal will not change the team’s commitment to its rebuilding process.
“If it comes out well, very brilliant,” he added. “We keep learning. If it doesn’t come out well, it’s still brilliant. Yes, we didn’t qualify for this World Cup which was very painful. But what we’re planning now is just for the future. The philosophy as I said earlier, the targets, the aim is to keep improving and we try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The midfielder added that Nigeria’s main objective is to ensure the disappointment of missing the 2026 World Cup is not repeated.
“We will try to qualify for every tournament, try to win games, which is very important. The group is very focused. Missing out on the World Cup is very sad, but we just want to look forward. It’s in the past now. We wish the teams at the World Cup good luck, but for us it is about the next competition we can actually qualify for.”
Reflecting further on the failed World Cup campaign, Ndidi admitted the pain remains fresh but said the squad is now concentrating on the opportunities ahead.
“Missing out on the World Cup is really sad, everyone can say that but as I said earlier the aim is not just to beat ourselves on what we’ve missed is to actually look forward to the bright future and what we can actually achieve together as a team.”
Nigeria will also be seeking revenge for their last meeting with Portugal, when the Selecao recorded a convincing 4-0 victory four years ago.
