When the two teams meet each other in an international friendly next month, former Super Eagles forward Peter Odemwingie has picked three players he believes head coach Eric Chelle would start against Russia.
Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Boniface, and Moses Simon are the players.
Russia and Nigeria will play a friendly match at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 6.
Chelle has already announced his 21-man roster for the friendly game, leaving out players like Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Victor Osimhen.
“I like it when new names appear, there will be more competition for the main players,” the 43-year-old remarked in an interview with Alexander Ershov, a Championat journalist.
“We shall be aware of the Nigerian national team’s future. The same players aren’t always reliable.
“The guys that will travel to Russia, in my opinion, are close to the starting lineup. We can consider [Moses] Simon, [Kelechi] Iheanacho, [Victor] Boniface, and [Samuel] Chukwueze to be our basis if they begin.
The former West Brom attacker continued, “Of course, [Victor] Osimhen is now Nigeria’s main star, but the game will still be interesting.”