The Super Eagles will look to end a mixed international break on a positive note when they take on Russia in Tuesday’s friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time.
Eric Chelle’s side opened the window with a 2-1 win over Madagascar before suffering a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, leaving Nigeria eager to regain momentum against the Sbornaya.
Striker Akor Adams has disclosed that Chelle has demanded the team beat Russia, despite the Super Eagles being without several key players, including captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika and Bright Osayi-Samuel.
“There are a lot of new boys in the squad, but it’s still the Super Eagles,” Adams said in an interview with NFF TV.
“The coach has made it clear – we have to win. Russia are a good team. They’re hungry to play games because of their peculiar situation (FIFA ban). For us, it is to give our best, come out with a good result and a good performance.”
Nigeria’s preparations have been affected by late withdrawals and non-releases. Ndidi withdrew through injury, while Eintracht Frankfurt refused to release Onyedika for the fixture. Maduka Okoye, who was not initially invited after failing to feature against Madagascar or Guinea-Bissau, will also play no part in the friendly.
Kelechi Iheanacho, however, is expected to return to the starting line-up after missing the recent AFCON qualifiers. The Bursaspor forward has enjoyed an impressive spell in Turkey, scoring 11 goals in eight appearances, and could lead an attack also featuring Moses Simon and Adams.
He was recalled after more than 16 months out of the national team and is looking forward to a good showing against the Russians.
“I am really happy to be here, and I will enjoy it with the boys, and hopefully we will have a very lovely outing on Tuesday,” Iheanacho said in an interview with the Super Eagles media team.
Chelle’s squad swelled to 19 players in camp following the late arrival of Ibrahim Ajasa, who received a call-up after several players became unavailable. The FC Rostov midfielder joined the team in Nizhny Novgorod ahead of the encounter, with the other players in camp including Stanley Nwabali, Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Frederick, Kenneth Igboke, Chibuzor Nwoko, Umar Abubakar, Peter Edokpolor, Abdullahi Bewene, Umar Abdullai, Atata Michael, Aderemi Adeoye, Isaac James and Michael Stephen.
Russia, meanwhile, head into the fixture on the back of consecutive wins over Iran and Namibia, including a 6-0 thrashing of the Namibians on Saturday. The hosts will also be without key men, with Aleksandr Golovin ruled out through an ankle injury and Krasnodar striker Dmitry Vorobyov also departing the Russian camp. Dynamo Moscow’s Konstantin Tyukavin remains their biggest threat after scoring in the win over Namibia, having registered four goals and an assist in seven league appearances this season.
Despite the changes on both sides, Russian football expert Vitaly Dyakov believes Nigeria’s pace, physical strength and defensive organisation could make life difficult for the hosts.
“Even if they don’t field their starting lineup, I think it’s going to be a tough game for us,” Dyakov told Euro-Football.
“Besides their speed and physical fitness, they’re also excellent at defending. If you watch the African Championship, many of them end 0-0 or 1-0. If the Nigerians lock down, it’ll be hard to break them down.”
He added that the Super Eagles represented a sterner test than Namibia, saying, “We’ll finally be playing a strong opponent, but as I understand it, it won’t be our full squad. Overall, they’re one of the best teams on their continent.”
Former USSR and Russia midfielder Alexander Mostovoy, however, played down concerns over the weakened Nigerian squad, arguing that fielding an understrength side was nothing new for the Super Eagles.
“It’ll be interesting to watch this game. We’re riding high right now — we’re crushing Namibia! What else can we do?” he told Sport-Express.
“Will the Nigerian team be without any stars? That’s their right. It’s not the first time this has happened.”
Nigeria and Russia have met just once previously, with the friendly ending in a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in June 2025.
Russia took the lead through a Semi Ajayi own goal before Tolu Arokodare capitalised on a poor back pass to score his first goal for Nigeria in the 71st minute. More than 38,000 tickets have been sold for Tuesday’s rematch at the 41,300-capacity stadium.
