Valery Karpin, the coach of the Russian national squad, has revealed a preliminary 41-player roster for the much-anticipated international exhibition match against Nigeria, scheduled for June 6 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
While the majority of the squad consists of athletes from the Russian Premier League, standout player Matvey Safonov, a goalkeeper from Paris Saint-Germain, is a significant addition, leading a group of five goalkeepers.
This match will be an important preparatory event for Nigeria as they gear up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, which are set to recommence in September.
Currently, Nigeria is at risk of not qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, as they currently hold the fifth position in Group C with seven points, trailing group leaders South Africa by six points.
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has summoned 21 players to participate in this match.
While prominent players including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Alex Iwobi are absent from the roster, Chelle has called upon seasoned athletes like Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
The Russian Football Union has stated that fans looking to attend the match in Moscow can now purchase tickets, with prices beginning at 600 rubles, which is approximately N12,000.
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Children aged five and under will be admitted for free, provided they are accompanied by adults and do not occupy separate seats.
The 41-player extended roster for Russia includes:
Goalkeepers: Matvey Safonov (PSG), Andrey Lunev (Dynamo Moscow), Alexander Maksimenko (Spartak Moscow), Evgeny Latyshonok (Zenit St. Petersburg), Stanislav Agkatsev (Krasnodar)
Defenders: Yuri Gorshkov (Zenit), Ilya Vakhaniya, Viktor Melokhin, Maxim Osipenko (all from Rostov), Igor Diveev, Danil Krugovoy, Dzhamalutdin Abdulkadyrov (all from CSKA), Aleksandr Silyanov, Evgeny Morozov (Lokomotiv), Valentin Paltsev (Dynamo Makhachkala), Ilya Rozhkov (Rubin Kazan), Arsen Adamov, Turpal-Ali Ibishev (Akhmat Grozny)
Midfielders: Kirill Shchetinin (Rostov), Dmitry Barinov, Alexey Batrakov, Sergey Pinyaev (Lokomotiv), Danil Prutsev, Nail Umyarov (Spartak), Nikita Krivtsov, Alexander Chernikov (Krasnodar), Danil Glebov, Daniil Fomin, Yaroslav Gladyshev (Dynamo), Ivan Oblyakov, Matvey Kislyak (CSKA), Maxim Glushenkov, Andrey Mostovoy (Zenit), Lechi Sadulaev (Akhmat), Alexey Miranchuk (Atlanta United), Anton Miranchuk (Sion), Zelimkhan Bakaev (Khimki)
Forwards: Dmitry Vorobyov (Lokomotiv), Tamerlan Musaev (CSKA), Ivan Sergeev (Krylya Sovetov), Nikolay Komlichenko (Rostov).
