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Russia head coach Valery Karpin has named a 31-man squad for their June international training camp, which will feature high-profile friendlies against Nigeria and Belarus, Footynaija.com reports.
The standout clash is set for June 6, when the 2018 World Cup hosts will welcome three-time African champions Nigeria to the iconic Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The match is scheduled to kick off at 18:00 Nigerian time.
Karpin’s selection includes four goalkeepers, eleven defenders, thirteen midfielders and three forwards. Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper Matvey Safonov and Sion midfielder Anton Miranchuk are the only players in the squad currently based outside Russia.
Originally, Zenit St Petersburg goalkeeper Evgeny Latyshonok had been named in the team, but he has withdrawn due to a muscle injury. He has been replaced by Lokomotiv Moscow’s Anton Mitryushkin.
Preparations for the international double-header will begin on May 31, with the national team setting up camp at their base in Novogorsk.
This fixture against Nigeria marks a rare meeting between the two sides and is expected to test Russia’s evolving squad under Karpin, as the Super Eagles continue their own build-up towards major international competitions.
Russia squad for friendlies against Nigeria, Belarus
Goalkeepers: Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain, Paris), Andrey Lunev (Dynamo Moscow), Anton Mitryushkin (Lokomotiv Moscow), Stanislav Agkatsev (Krasnodar).
Defenders: Yuri Gorshkov (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Ilya Vakhaniya, Viktor Melokhin, Maxim Osipenko (all from Rostov, Rostov-on-Don), Danil Krugovoy, Dzhamalutdin Abdulkadyrov (both from CSKA Moscow), Alexander Silyanov (Lokomotiv, Moscow), Valentin Paltsev (Dynamo Makhachkala), Ilya Rozhkov (Rubin Kazan), Arsen Adamov, Turpal-Ali Ibishev (both from Akhmat Grozny).
Midfielders: Kirill Shchetinin (Rostov, Rostov-on-Don), Dmitry Barinov, Alexey Batrakov, Sergey Pinyaev (all Lokomotiv Moscow), Danil Prutsev (Spartak Moscow), Danil Glebov, Yaroslav Gladyshev (both Dynamo Moscow), Ivan Oblyakov, Matvey Kislyak (both CSKA Moscow), Maxim Glushenkov, Andrey Mostovoy (both Zenit St. Petersburg), Lechi Sadulaev (Akhmat Grozny), Anton Miranchuk (Sion).
Forwards: Dmitry Vorobyov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Ivan Sergeev (Sovetov, Samara), Nikolay Komlichenko (Rostov, Rostov-on-Don).
