By Adegboyega Adeleye
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will return to action on Tuesday when they face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with Eric Chelle looking to use the game to assess his reshaped squad and respond to Nigeria’s disappointing start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Nigeria head into the encounter after a difficult start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, having beaten Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau four days later. The Russia friendly offers Chelle a chance to examine other options ahead of the resumption of the qualifiers.
Russia, meanwhile, have enjoyed an impressive start to their October international window. Valery Karpin’s side defeated Iran 2-0 on September 29 before thrashing Namibia 6-0 on Saturday. The two results extended Russia’s winning run to four matches, with the team scoring 14 goals without conceding in victories over Iran, Namibia, Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Super Eagles will also be without several players for the friendly. Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe have withdrawn due to injury, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola and Moses Usor are among those unavailable for different reasons. Suleiman Mubarak was also unable to travel because his residence permit was not secured.
Chelle has, therefore, made two changes to his squad, with John Otomewo and Vince Osuji called up to replace Ndidi and Akpe respectively. Both players are in line to make their senior international debuts against Russia. Otomewo recently joined French Ligue 2 side Stade de Reims from Hapoel Jerusalem, while Osuji plays for Norwegian club Tromsø after leaving Club Brugge.
The friendly will be Nigeria’s second meeting with Russia at senior international level. Their only previous encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow on June 6, 2025, with Semi Ajayi scoring an own goal before Tolu Arokodare equalised for the Super Eagles.
The match will therefore give Chelle another chance to examine his options ahead of the resumption of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers in November, while Nigeria will be seeking a better performance after the Guinea-Bissau setback.
Date, time and venue
Fixture: Russia vs Nigeria
Competition: International friendly
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Kick-off: 5:00 p.m. Nigerian time / 7:00 p.m. Russian time
Where to watch
Viewers are advised to check local listings and official broadcaster platforms for the confirmed transmission details ahead of kick-off.
The post Int’l friendly: Nigeria vs Russia— preview, date, time and where to watch appeared first on Vanguard News.