Russia welcome African nation Nigeria on to Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow city for a friendly affair in what will be the first ever senior encounter between both countries.
While the Europeans enjoyed victory in their last outing in March, the Super Eagles’s most recent match came over the weekend when they defeated Jamaica on penalties to lift the Unity Cup.
Excluded from competitive action since February 2022, Russia have found a way to remain active on the international scene by staging a string of friendlies to keep their rhythm intact.
Their last official outing dates back to 2021 against Croatia and since the invasion of Ukraine that saw them suspended from global tournaments, the national team have focused largely on exhibition matches against nations outside Europe and the West.
This fixture now presents an opportunity to sharpen up ahead of September’s crunch qualifiers, with Eric Chelle’s men in need of a near-perfect run in their final four World Cup preliminaries after managing just seven points from their opening six.
The Super Eagles currently sit fourth in their group and trail leaders South Africa by six points, with decisive doubleheaders against Rwanda and South Africa to come, followed by matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic after this friendly.
Watch Russia vs Nigeria in International Friendly Match Below.
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