Stars will not converge: Russia and Nigeria will play without key players

The Russian national team completes the first autumn training camp with a match against one of the most prestigious rivals in recent years. After defeating Iran (2:0) and Namibia (6:0), Valery Karpin's team will face Nigeria on October 6, the bronze medalist of the African Cup of Nations, which, however, will arrive in Nizhny Novgorod with a greatly updated squad.

Minus stars

Before the match with Nigeria, the Russian national team lost its leader. Alexander Golovin suffered an ankle injury in the match against Iran on September 29, the one where he scored both goals and brought the team a 2-0 victory. In Yekaterinburg, where the team moved to play against Namibia, the Monaco midfielder was examined anew: the pain remained. Karpin said that Golovin would "100% not play" against Namibia and that "he probably would have played for some time with Nigeria," but they would not take risks in a friendly match. The player was released to the club's location for treatment. Striker Dmitry Vorobyov also left the national team with him.

In the first two matches of the training camp, Russia scored eight unanswered goals. The defeat of Namibia (6:0) was held to a full house — the first match in the history of the national team at the Yekaterinburg Arena. Now it's Nizhny Novgorod, where the Russians will also play for the first time.

Erik Schell, the head coach of the Nigerian national team, announced the 24-player bid on September 18, and it became a major disappointment for those who hoped to see world-class stars in Russia. Six main players were not included in the list: Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, the main attacking star of the team, whose market value is estimated at €75 million; Atletico midfielder Ademola Lukman— the best football player in Africa in 2024, who moved from Atalanta to Madrid for €35 million; Milan winger Samuel Chukwuese; Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi; Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Coventry defensive midfielder Frank Onyeka.

At the same time, all six were called up for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Madagascar (September 25) and Guinea-Bissau (September 29). So the reason for their absence in Russia is not injuries at all.

The total cost of the Nigerian national team is about €182 million, but without Osimhen and Lukman, the Super Eagles lose the lion's share of their attacking potential.

But the bid includes Wilfred Ndidi from Besiktas— a defensive midfielder with experience playing in the English Premier League, and Kelechi Iheanacho from Bursaspor, an ex-Manchester City, Leicester and Sevilla player who, in the absence of the main stars, gets a chance to become the leader of the attack. Moses Simon from Paris France, Bright Osayi-Samuel from Birmingham and Akor Adams from Venice Italy will also be in the squad for the match with Russia. And the Russian RPL representative, 20—year-old Ibrahim Mafus Ajasa from Rostov, joined the national team.

The unexpected failure of the "superorls"

Nigeria is approaching the match with Russia on the decline. On September 25, at home in Abuja, the Super Eagles beat Madagascar 2-1 in the first round of the qualifying group L of the 2027 African Cup of Nations. The goals were scored by George Ilenikkhena in the 45th minute and Moses Usor in the 65th, after the visitors opened the scoring in the 16th minute with the efforts of Ehsan Kari.

And four days later, the unexpected happened: on September 29, Nigeria lost to Guinea-Bissau 0:3. A crushing defeat against a team that is far beyond the top hundred in the FIFA rankings. After two rounds, Guinea-Bissau leads Group L with six points, Nigeria is second with three.

In earlier friendly matches this year, the Nigerians performed unevenly. In late May and early June, they beat Jamaica (3:0) and Zimbabwe (2:0), then drew with Poland (2:2) and lost to Portugal (1:2). In the spring, there was a draw with Jordan (2:2) and a victory over Iran (2:1), and in December 2025— a defeat against Egypt (1:2).

Surprisingly, one of the most recognizable African national teams failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row. In qualifying Group C, Nigeria took second place, passing South Africa ahead. In the playoffs, the Nigerians beat Gabon 4:1 in extra time, but in the final they lost to DR Congo on penalties - 1:1 in regular time and 3:4 in the series.

But at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, Nigeria took bronze. The team confidently emerged from the group, winning all three matches (2:1 with Tanzania, 3:2 with Tunisia, 3:1 with Uganda), defeated Mozambique in the 1/8 finals (4:0), beat Algeria in the quarterfinals (2:0), lost to Morocco in the semifinals on penalties (0:0, 2:4), and in the match for the third place, she took revenge on Egypt, also on penalties. (0:0, 4:2). Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali deflected the shots of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. The bronze became a record for Nigeria in the number of third places in the history of the tournament.

In general, the achievements of the Nigerian national team are among the most significant in African football. Three-time winner of the African Cup of Nations (1980, 1994, 2013). Olympic champion in 1996 — at the Atlanta Games, the Nigerians beat Brazil with Ronaldo and Rivaldo (4:3 in extra time) in the semifinals, and Argentina with Crespo and Zanetti (3:2) in the finals. Five-time world champion among players under 17 years of age (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015) — the absolute record of the tournament.

In the current FIFA ranking, Nigeria ranks 26th, nine positions above the Russian national team, which is 35th. The next rating update will be released on October 7, the day after the match.

Accusations of witchcraft

The Nigerian national team is led by Eric Sekou Shell, a 48-year-old French-Malian specialist born in Côte d'Ivoire. As a player, he spent his entire career in France. He played 5 matches for the national team of Mali. Schell has been in charge of the Nigerian national team since January 2025.

His signature style is high—pressure attacking football; in various matches, he uses 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 patterns with a diamond in midfield. Schell is known not only for his attacking game model, but also for his flamboyant press conferences. After losing to DR Congo on November 16, 2025, he accused the opposing coaching staff of "voodoo magic" during a penalty shootout, but later issued an official apology.

Russia and Nigeria will play each other for only the second time in history. The first face—to-face meeting took place quite recently - on June 6, 2025 in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. The friendly match ended in a 1-1 draw:1. Russia took the lead in the 27th minute when Daniil Krugovoy shot into the goalkeeper's box, and Nigerian defender Seven Ajayi cut the ball into his own net. After the break, Nigeria equalized: Toluvalase Arokodare scored in the 71st minute. That match broke the Russian national team's eight-game winning streak.

Karpin's team is approaching the second match with Nigeria with a series of four consecutive wins with a total score of 14:0. The last defeat was on May 28 — 0:1 against Egypt. On paper, the Nigerians are a pretty strong and status—worthy opponent, but without their main stars they no longer pose such a serious threat. Therefore, Russian football players can expect to win.