Roberto Martínez Praises Eric Chelle’s Tactical Flexibility Ahead of Portugal vs Nigeria Friendly in Leiria

Portugal manager Roberto Martínez has spoken positively about the Super Eagles and their head coach Éric Chelle, citing Nigeria’s recent performance against Poland as evidence of a well-organised and tactically versatile side. The two nations meet at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday, June 10, in what Martínez expects to be a highly competitive encounter.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Spanish coach reflected on Nigeria’s 2-2 draw against Poland as a reference point for what Portugal can anticipate. “I expect the Nigerian team very competitive. I enjoyed their last friendly against Poland; I love the ideas of the coach; flexible as a team using the different system he used, fix different players in different positions,” Martínez said.

The Portuguese manager also acknowledged the quality within Nigeria’s squad despite the absence of several high-profile names. “I can see that players like Osimhen and Lookman are not here; they introduce other players who have a high level of performance. I expect a very competitive game, quality players with a lot of experience. Bassey, Iwobi, players I know very well,” he added.

In that outing in Wrocław, a Nigeria side without talismanic forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, as well as midfielder Alex Iwobi, came close to victory after goals from Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu, only to be denied by a Poland equaliser from Przemysław Wiśniewski in the 90+4th minute, which ended the match at 2-2.

The Leiria friendly carries different significance for each nation. For Portugal, it represents their final warm-up fixture before the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, and Martínez is expected to field a full-strength squad as he finalises his preparations. The Seleção are placed in Group K, where they are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against DR Congo on June 17, before facing Uzbekistan and Colombia in subsequent group stage matches.

For Nigeria, the match arrives in the context of a 12-game unbeaten run under Chelle, a run that has nonetheless been unable to mask the broader disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup — a second consecutive absence from the global tournament. DR Congo qualified from the same region in the Super Eagles’ stead and will face Portugal in the group stage opener.

Chelle has drawn attention for his willingness to rotate systems and personnel, a flexibility that Martínez appeared to find particularly noteworthy. Nigeria’s ability to remain competitive without several of their most prominent players adds further weight to the assessment that Chelle has built genuine squad depth during his tenure.

While Portugal prepare to test themselves against a World Cup-bound schedule, Nigeria will be looking to use the occasion to sustain momentum and build toward future qualification campaigns, with the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the next World Cup cycle both on the horizon.