Nigeria will take a heavily changed squad into Tuesday’s meeting with Russia in Nizhny Novgorod, but Valery Karpin does not expect the long list of new faces to change what the Super Eagles bring to the pitch, Footynaija.com reports.
Eric Chelle initially named 24 players for the friendly, with several young players called into the senior setup for the first time. The squad was then reduced by injuries, club restrictions and other issues, leaving only 18 players available in Russia ahead of the match.
Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Moses Usor are among those unavailable.
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That leaves Nigeria with a very different group from the one that started the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last month. The Super Eagles beat Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau, with Chelle now using the Russia fixture to give opportunities to players who were not involved in those matches.
Russia, meanwhile, have enjoyed a strong international window. Karpin’s side beat Iran 2-0 before following that with a 6-0 victory over Namibia, leaving them with 12 goals from their two matches before Nigeria.
Karpin expects the same Super Eagles
Karpin was asked about Nigeria’s strengths and how Russia planned to deal with them, but his response suggested that the changes to Chelle’s squad had not altered his view of the opponent.
“Nigeria will have a lot of debutants, but the style of play has not changed. I think we will not see anything new,” Karpin said, according to Russian publication sports-express.
The Russia coach does not expect Nigeria’s inexperienced players to produce a completely different team when the sides meet.
His comments come only days after he had described Nigeria as one of the strongest opponents Russia would face during the international window. After Russia’s 2-0 win over Iran, Karpin said the Nigeria game could be even more difficult and predicted major changes to his own lineup.
The two sides last met in Moscow in June 2025, when Nigeria came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw after Tolu Arokodare cancelled out Semi Ajayi’s own goal.
This time, Chelle’s selection is built around a mixture of experienced internationals and players looking to establish themselves, including Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Stanley Nwabali alongside several potential debutants.
For Karpin, though, the personnel changes have not changed the identity of the opponent he expects to face on Tuesday.
