'Difficult to play against African teams' - Ex-Ajax forward expects Super Eagles to trouble Russia

Former Ajax Amsterdam forward and retired Russia international Dmitri Bulykin expects the Super Eagles to put up a strong challenge when the two countries meet in an international friendly on Tuesday.

For the second time in 16 months, the 2018 World Cup hosts will face the three-time African champions in a friendly, with the match scheduled to take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod.

The Super Eagles head into the fixture with a depleted squad, with Wilfred Ndidi, Moses Usor, Victory Akpe, Raphael Onyedika, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Suleiman Mubarak withdrawing from the squad.

Russia will be without PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, while Lokomotiv Moscow defenders Yevgeny Morozov and Aleksandr Silyanov and Krasnodar forward Dmitry Vorobyov are unavailable due to medical reasons.

Bulykin stressed that Russia cannot afford to underestimate the Super Eagles, particularly given the physical nature and fighting spirit often associated with African teams.

"Right now, we need to be able to play with everyone and come into matches motivated. Sometimes, the second team is even more motivated than the first," he told TASS.

"It won't be easy; it's difficult to play against everyone, especially teams from the African continent. In terms of physicality, fighting, and tenacity, they're a very good team. Our guys will have to put in a lot of effort to win. "

Bulykin urged Russia to take control early and avoid allowing the Super Eagles to grow in confidence.

"We need to show level, skill, and class from the very first minutes, so that after the first goal, we'll be more relaxed. If we play for a long time with a draw, then the opponent might even start to think about winning.

"All our opponents are good right now. The main thing is to play at a high level, score, and show good play and teamwork. Our team has the opportunity to build all of this through matches."

Since their suspension from international football in February 2022, Russia have faced African opposition eight times, recording four wins, three draws and one defeat, against Egypt.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel