Retired Russian player Stanislav Cherchesov has called the Super Eagles a strong opponent. This comes ahead of Russia’s friendly match against Nigeria on October 6. He said this game will be a good test for the Russian team, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Nigeria will play Russia at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, which holds 44,000 fans. This stadium hosted games during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This match is happening 16 months after both teams drew 1-1 in Moscow.
Cherchesov is currently the coach of FC Akhmat Grozny in the Russian Premier League. He recognized that Nigeria has a lot of experienced players. But he is unsure about the lineup that coach Eric Chelle will use for the friendly.
"All teams, including ours, test something in friendly matches," Cherchesov said. He continued, "The Iranian and Nigerian teams are of a good standard and have a lot of experience, although I don’t know what lineup they’ll be playing, so it will be a good test for the Russian team."
Chelle will likely miss several key players for this match. Bruno Onyemaechi, Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman, and Victor Osimhen are all set to miss the trip to Russia.
The Super Eagles will arrive in Russia after playing Guinea-Bissau on September 29. They opened their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar in Uyo.
Nigeria and Russia last met at the Luzhniki Stadium in June 2025. Russia scored first due to an own goal by Ajayi. Then, Tolu Arokodare equalized for Nigeria in the second half. This upcoming match will be the second time both countries face each other.
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