Nigeria travels to Sovcombank Arena on Tuesday as they face Russia in their final match of this international break.
Eric Chelle’s men will look to end this window with a positive result after a shock defeat in their last match.
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Russia vs Nigeria – Match preview and team news
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Date: Tuesday, 6th October.
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Venue: Sovcombank Arena, Nizhniy Novgorod.
Russia team news
The Russian national team enters this home fixture in exceptional form and with a highly stable squad under manager Valery Karpin.
Goalkeeper Stanislav Agkatsev anchors a solid defensive unit that has enjoyed consistent game time together on home soil. Karpin has virtually a full squad at his disposal, allowing Russia to field a highly competitive and cohesive starting eleven.
For Russia, Konstantin Tyukavin is a strong candidate to start up front after managing 78 minutes in the victory over Iran, having previously come off the bench in the big win against Namibia.
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In the outfield, Arsen Adamov, Viktor Melekhin, Artem Karpukas and Mingiyan Beveev are all likely to be involved in the starting XI.
Nigeria team news
Nigeria faces a severe selection crisis ahead of their international friendly against Russia, with head coach Eric Chelle left with a drastically depleted 18-man squad.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed that seven players have withdrawn from the camp due to a mix of injuries, travel complications, and club restrictions.
Wilfred Ndidi is officially ruled out after picking up a knock against Guinea-Bissau, while defender Victory Akpe and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye are also sidelined.
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Compounding these absences, several European and Middle Eastern clubs blocked their players from travelling, including Eintracht Frankfurt withholding Raphael Onyedika, Birmingham City keeping Bright Osayi-Samuel, LASK FC blocking Moses Usor, and Al-Wahda holding back Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola.
Additionally, Slavia Prague’s Suleiman Mubarak missed out due to an unprocessed residence permit. On a positive note, forward Kelechi Iheanacho has rejoined the squad and is fully available.
Form
Russia
Russia enters this fixture in exceptional form, riding a strong wave of momentum in their recent friendlies. Sbornaya has registered dominant back-to-back home victories, crushing Namibia 6-0 and defeating Iran 2-0. Aside from a minor 1-0 slip against Egypt earlier in the year, Valery Karpin’s team has been highly clinical, picking up comfortable 3-0 wins over both Trinidad and Tobago and Burkina Faso to cement their formidable status.
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Nigeria
Nigeria carries highly inconsistent form, struggling to find stability under head coach Eric Chelle. The Super Eagles recently suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against Guinea-Bissau in their latest Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, following a narrow 2-1 victory over Madagascar. Their friendly campaign has yielded mixed results, featuring a 2-1 loss to Portugal, a 2-2 draw with Poland.
Predicted lineups
Russia: Agkatsev; Adamov, Melyokhin, Osipenko, Beveev; Karpukas, Prutsev, Umyarov; Miranchuk, Sadulayev, Tyukavin
Nigeria: Nwabali; James, Fernandez, Benjamin, Igboke; Onyeka, Nwoko, Michael; Simon, Akor, Iheanacho
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How to watch Russia vs Nigeria
Digital platform M4STV has confirmed global streaming rights for the fixture.
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