Russia vs Super Eagles: Preview, team news, predictions as Chelle faces fresh test in Nizhny Novgorod

The Super Eagles will return to action on Tuesday when they face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Soccernet.ng reports.

Eric Chelle's side will be looking for a positive response after a difficult start to their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign. Nigeria opened the qualifiers with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar in Uyo before suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau four days later.

The Russia friendly, however, presents a very different challenge for Chelle, who named a separate squad for the October fixture and has used the window to look at players outside his preferred group.

📋 Eric Chelle names squads for September and October 2026 Fixtures. https://t.co/W3zThCDUfE

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 17, 2026

The match will also give several newcomers an opportunity to make their national team debuts and convince the coach that they deserve a place in his long-term plans.

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Russia vs Super Eagles preview

Russia will enter Tuesday's game in a confident mood after an impressive start to their October international window. Valery Karpin's side defeated Iran 2-0 in Kazan on September 29, with Aleksandr Golovin scoring twice in the first half.

The Russians then produced an even bigger result against Namibia on Saturday, winning 6-0 in Yekaterinburg.

Lechi Sadulaev opened the scoring before Danil Prutsev and Konstantin Tyukavin added goals after the break. Maxim Glushenkov and Maxim Petrov also scored, while Namibia conceded a late own goal.

The result extended Russia's winning run to four matches and means Karpin's team has scored 14 goals without conceding across victories over Iran, Namibia, Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.

However, Nigeria will not necessarily face the same Russian team that started against Namibia.

Karpin has already warned that he intends to make major changes against the Super Eagles, with the Russian coach admitting that Nigeria could provide an even tougher test.

Super Eagles team news

Nigeria's squad has undergone two late changes since Chelle announced his original selection. Wilfred Ndidi and Basel defender Victory Akpe have both withdrawn.

Tromsø centre-back Vince Osuji was called up to replace Akpe, while Reims midfielder John Otomewo came in for Ndidi.

Osuji, 20, will be in line for his senior international debut after making the move to Tromsø from Club Brugge earlier this year. Otomewo, 19, is another player receiving his first senior Super Eagles invitation and could also make his debut against Russia.

Chelle has retained a mixture of experience and youth for the friendly. Stanley Nwabali, Moses Simon and Akor Adams are among the more established players in the group, while Kelechi Iheanacho has also returned to the national team after his strong start to the season with Bursaspor.

The squad also contains first-time invitees such as Michael Atata, Aderemi Adeoye, Chibuzo Nwoko, Stephen Michael, Suleiman Mubarak, Peter Edokpolor, Abubakar Umar and Abdullahi Umar.

Head-to-head record: Russia vs Nigeria

Nigeria and Russia have met only once at senior international level. That encounter took place on June 6, 2025, at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium and ended in a 1-1 draw.

Russia took the lead when Semi Ajayi turned the ball into his own net in the first half. Nigeria responded after the break through Tolu Arokodare, who came off the bench to score the equaliser in the 71st minute.

Tuesday's clash gives Nigeria an opportunity to claim their first victory over Russia.

What is at stake for the Super Eagles?

Although there are no AFCON qualification points on the table, the Russia friendly is important for Chelle.

Nigeria's 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau exposed several problems in the team, but the coach now has a chance to examine players who were not involved in the September qualifiers.

The match could shape the bigger Super Eagles picture ahead of the November AFCON qualifiers. For players like Osuji, Otomewo, Nwoko, and the other newcomers, a strong performance could turn a one-off invitation into a place in Chelle's future plans.

For established players such as Simon, Adams and Iheanacho, the game provides an opportunity to show that they can still play an important role in Nigeria's next phase.

Russia, meanwhile, will be looking to continue their impressive run under Karpin, but Chelle's reshaped Super Eagles will be one of their sternest friendly tests of the year.

Match details

• Fixture: Russia vs Nigeria

• Competition: International friendly

• Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026

• Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

• Kick-off: 5:00 pm Nigerian time / 7:00 pm Russian time

Russia vs Super Eagles: Probable lineups

Russia predicted XI (4-3-3)

Safonov; Silyanov, Osipenko, Litvinov, Krugovoy; Barinov's replacement, Prutsev, Golovin; Glushenkov, Tyukavin, Sadulaev.

Russia coach Valery Karpin is expected to make several changes after the 6-0 victory over Namibia.

Aleksandr Golovin, Danil Prutsev, Maxim Glushenkov and Konstantin Tyukavin are among the players who could feature, although their inclusion will depend on the extent of Karpin's rotation. Dmitri Barinov and Nikita Krivtsov have been listed as injury concerns.

Nigeria predicted XI (4-3-3)

Stanley Nwabali; Bright Osayi-Samuel, Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Fredricks, Kenneth Igboke; Raphael Onyedika, Chibuzo Nwoko, Stephen Michael; Moses Simon, Akor Adams, Kelechi Iheanacho.

Nwabali is a candidate to start in goal, while Fernandez and Fredricks could form a new central defensive partnership. Osayi-Samuel offers experience at right-back, with Igboke the likeliest option on the opposite flank.

In midfield, Onyedika could provide defensive protection and help Nigeria progress the ball, with Nwoko and Michael offering Chelle an opportunity to assess younger options.

Simon and Adams are among the more established attacking choices in the squad, while Iheanacho could lead the line or play off another forward.

Vince Osuji and John Otomewo are also in contention after replacing the injured Victory Akpe and Wilfred Ndidi respectively. Both could make their senior international debuts, depending on Chelle's selection.

Neither lineup has been confirmed. Chelle's experimental squad and Karpin's intention to rotate make the starting XIs particularly difficult to predict.

Prediction: Russia 1-1 Super Eagles

Nigeria's heavily reshaped squad makes this a difficult game to predict, particularly against a Russia side that has scored 14 goals in their last four matches.

However, Karpin is expected to make significant changes after the Namibia game, while Chelle will be eager to see his new-look side respond after the Guinea-Bissau defeat.

The Super Eagles have enough quality to leave Nizhny Novgorod with a draw.