Russia’s head coach Valery Karpin has unveiled a 41-man squad for the upcoming high-profile international friendly against Nigeria, scheduled for June 6 at the iconic Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Footynaija.com reports.

The roster is packed with talent from the Russian Premier League, with standout inclusion Matvey Safonov — the Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper — headlining a five-man goalkeeping unit.

Interestingly, Karpin’s approach mirrors that of Super Eagles boss Eric Chelle, who stunned many by calling up 12 players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for Nigeria’s May Unity Cup and the Russian clash.

Chelle has named 24 players for the Unity Cup and 21 stars for the Russian friendly, with experienced internationals like Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Maduka Okoye included, while big names such as Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, and Ademola Lookman are absent.

Niger Tornadoes midfielder Papa Daniel Mustapha is the only #NPFL25 star listed for the Nigeria v Russia friendly on June 6 at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow pic.twitter.com/jHnbvdQBch

— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) May 21, 2025

This fixture is part of Nigeria’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with the Super Eagles currently languishing in fifth place in Group C — six points behind leaders South Africa.

Russia’s 41-player squad for Nigeria friendly

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 Rostov), Igor Diveev, Danil Krugovoy, Dzhamalutdin Abdulkadyrov (all 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)

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