Russia coach Valery Karpin thinks Nigeria is one of the toughest teams his side will meet during the next international window. Karpin shared this view while talking to the Russian Football Union after he picked his squad for upcoming friendlies against Iran, Nigeria, and Namibia.
“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 Russian coach mentioned that his team was eager to test their skills against Nigeria and Iran, who are both ranked higher than Russia in the FIFA rankings.
“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 added.
Nigeria and Russia will clash again on October 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. This match comes 16 months after their first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Tolu Arokodare scored Nigeria’s equaliser in that game after Semi Ajayi accidentally put the ball into his own net.
The Super Eagles will play Russia after their first two matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Madagascar on Friday, September 25, and Guinea Bissau on Tuesday, September 29.
Karpin also mentioned that Namibia would bring a different challenge but warned his players not to underestimate them.
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