Former Nigeria international Sani Kaita has backed the upcoming meeting between the Super Eagles and Russia to produce an entertaining contest, with the ex-midfielder also giving his prediction for the game, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria are set to face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on October 6, with both nations meeting for the second time at senior international level.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in their first encounter in June 2025, with Tolu Arokodare scoring Nigeria’s equaliser after Semi Ajayi’s own goal had given the Russians the lead.
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Kaita, who earned 22 caps for the Super Eagles, believes Nigeria will be up against a strong Russian side when the teams meet again.
“As a great admirer of the Russian people and Russian culture, I am very pleased to see that good relations are developing between Nigeria and Russia,” he told Championat.com.
“In Nigeria, they understand that the Russian national team is a serious opponent, and we know how high-quality the Russian team is.”
The former Sparta Rotterdam, AS Monaco and Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder also addressed the expected absence of Victor Osimhen, who is currently dealing with an injury setback.
According to Kaita, losing the Galatasaray striker would be a major blow for Nigeria, although he believes Eric Chelle has enough attacking options to cope with his absence.
“Of course, Osimhen’s absence is a huge loss for our team. However, Nigeria has other high-level players who can replace him, and the coaching staff has a variety of attacking options.”
Kaita expects an entertaining encounter in Nizhny Novgorod but has backed the hosts to edge the Super Eagles.
“I’m confident it will be a top-notch match. My prediction for the game is 2-1 for Russia.”
