Russia Coach Praises Super Eagles’ Strength Ahead of International Friendly
- Russia head coach Valery Karpin praised Nigeria and Iran as strong opponents ahead of the October 2026 international window
- The Super Eagles are set to face Russia on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in a high-profile friendly
- Nigeria will first play Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers before travelling to face Russia
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Russia head coach Valery Karpin has spoken about the quality of Nigeria's Super Eagles ahead of their planned friendly meeting next month, describing the African side as a worthy and formidable opponent.
The two countries are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The fixture comes 16 months after their previous encounter in Moscow, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Source: Getty Images
AFC Ajax loan forward Tolu Arokodare's 71st-minute strike, his debut goal for Nigeria, cancelled out Semi Ajayi's first-half own goal in that game, as noted by NFF.
Karpin praises Super Eagles’ strength
Speaking on the Russia Football Union's official website after his squad was announced, Karpin gave a clear indication of how seriously he regards both Nigeria and Iran as test cases for his team.
“Two worthy, strong opponents, Iran and Nigeria. Just look at the FIFA rankings. These teams are among the top 30. There's no need to talk about them much; we've all seen them,” Karpin said.
“The level of these teams is clear. We're interested to see how we compare against such opponents.”
Nigeria will not be Russia's only opponent during the international window. They are also scheduled to play Iran and Namibia during the same period.
Before travelling to Russia, Nigeria face a demanding run of fixtures in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles are due to play Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in Group L games during the same international window, making October a particularly packed month for the Nigerian squad.
Guinea-Bissau set to release squad
Legit.ng previously reported that Guinea-Bissau confirmed that they will announce their squad to face Nigeria in the AFCON 2027 qualifier.
Head coach Emiliano Te will announce his squad for the high-profile game against the Super Eagles in the crucial qualifying match.
Source: Legit.ng
