'It does not matter who we play' - Russia coach downplays impact of missing Super Eagles players

Russia head coach Valery Karpin has downplayed the significance of Nigeria missing several key players ahead of their high-profile friendly at Luzhniki Stadium, insisting that his team’s preparation remains unchanged regardless of the opposition.

Responding to a question about how Russia plans to approach the match in light of Nigeria’s weakened squad, Karpin pointed out that his own side is also missing important figures. "By the way, our leaders – Diveev, Golovin – did not come either," he said at Thursday's press conference.

Karpin emphasized that his focus is not on who lines up for the opposing team, but rather on how well Russia can implement the principles they work on in training. 

"It does not matter who we play – Nigeria or Serbia – we want to do the things that we practice in training," he explained.

Acknowledging the varying levels of difficulty posed by different national teams, the coach noted that playing against African heavyweights like Nigeria or Cameroon presents a greater challenge than facing lower-ranked sides. 

"It is clear that it is more difficult to press against Serbia or Cameroon than, for example, against Grenada or Brunei," Karpin said.

The match against Nigeria, he added, offers a valuable opportunity to evaluate his team’s tactical discipline. 

"This is what I want to see – how we defend, how we apply pressure, how we come out of defense against a team of a different level," he said.

Despite the variance in opposition strength, Karpin made it clear that Russia’s preparation standards do not change.

"The requirements are always the same – regardless of the opponent. We prepare the way we should prepare, taking into account the characteristics of a particular team," he concluded.

Russia will face Nigeria at Luzhniki Stadium on Friday in an international friendly game.

Wale Adejumo

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