Russia head coach Valery Karpin has acknowledged the quality of the Super Eagles ahead of the two nations’ upcoming international friendly in October, insisting that the level of Nigeria’s team is already clear, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles are set to face Russia on October 6 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with the encounter marking their second meeting in just over a year.
The two sides first met in June 2025 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where Nigeria battled back to secure a 1-1 draw after Semi Ajayi’s own goal had handed Russia an early advantage.
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Tolu Arokodare eventually restored parity for the Super Eagles in the second half as both sides settled for a share of the spoils to leave both sides on equal footing ahead of another meeting between the two nations.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming fixture, the Russia boss grouped Nigeria alongside Iran as two strong opponents his team will face, pointing to their position in the FIFA rankings as evidence of their quality.
“Two worthy, strong opponents – Iran and Nigeria. Just look at the FIFA rankings. These teams are among the top 30,” Karpin told the Russian Football Union.
“There’s no need to talk about them much – we’ve all seen them. 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.”
The October meeting will therefore provide another opportunity for Nigeria to test themselves against Russia, with the Super Eagles heading into the friendly after their September AFCON qualifying fixtures against
For Russia, however, the fixture represents another chance to measure their progress against a team the coaching staff already recognise as being among the stronger sides in the current FIFA rankings.
