Russia head coach Valery Karpin says he expects to make major changes to his starting lineup when his side faces Nigeria’s Super Eagles in an international friendly on Tuesday.
The match, scheduled for October 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, will be Russia’s third fixture of the current international window after meetings with Iran and Namibia. The Russian Football Union confirmed the schedule as part of the team’s September-October training camp.
Karpin indicated that the changes would come as Russia manages its squad across the three-match programme, while also acknowledging the quality of the Nigerian team.
“Against Nigeria, it’ll be pretty much the same as yesterday. It won’t be easy for us. I think we’ll have some major changes in our lineup. It might be even tougher for the Russian team than against Iran,” Karpin said, according to reports quoting his comments.
Russia began the international window with a 2-0 victory over Iran on September 29 before facing Namibia on October 3. Nigeria is the final opponent in the sequence.
Karpin had previously described Nigeria and Iran as strong opponents, pointing to their positions among the top 30 teams in the FIFA rankings at the time of his comments.
The Russian coach said the matches would provide an opportunity to assess how his team compares against higher-ranked opposition.
“This will be our third game against Iran in a while, and our second against Nigeria. The level of these teams is clear. We’re interested to see how we compare against such opponents,” he said.
Nigeria will enter the friendly with a significantly different squad from the one used in its opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle named a separate 24-man squad for the Russia fixture, bringing in several new players and giving other members of the squad an opportunity to stake their claims.
The Super Eagles began their AFCON qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo but subsequently suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau. The Russia match therefore offers Chelle an opportunity to assess alternatives and combinations ahead of the next competitive fixtures.
Nigeria and Russia previously met in Moscow in June 2025, with the encounter ending in a 1-1 draw. Russia took the lead through a Semi Ajayi own goal before Tolu Arokodare equalised for Nigeria.
With both coaches expected to use the fixture to assess squad options, Tuesday’s encounter is likely to provide an important test of the depth available to the two national teams.
The match will also give Nigeria an opportunity to respond after its disappointing defeat in Guinea-Bissau, while Russia will seek to complete its international window with another competitive performance against African opposition.
