Russia welcome African nation Nigeria on Friday evening to Luzhniki Stadium for a friendly affair in what will be the first ever senior encounter between both nations.
While the Europeans enjoyed victory in their last outing in March, the Super Eagles’s most recent outing 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.
The most recent of such came in March when Sbornaya swept aside Zambia in a commanding 5-0 performance to stretch their winning run to eight matches on the bounce.
Indeed, these games have felt like routine strolls for Russia, who have racked up a staggering 45 goals without conceding once during that stretch, but with Nigeria now lined up as arguably their sternest test in a while, the real measure of their current strength could finally be revealed.
Nigeria arrive in Moscow on the back of a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions, having recorded three wins, two draws and a penalty shootout triumph in their latest outing.
After edging arch rivals Ghana 2-1 in the first leg of their Unity Cup double-header, the Super Eagles followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Jamaica before holding their nerve from the spot to be crowned champions of the mini-series.
This fixture now presents an opportunity to sharpen up before September’s crunch qualifiers, with Eric Chelle’s men needing a near flawless run in their final four World Cup qualifying matches after collecting 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 double-headers against Rwanda and South Africa to come, followed by matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic after this friendly.
