Karpin Downplays Impact of Osimhen, Lookman Absence In Russia Vs Super Eagles Friendly

Russia manager Valery Karpin has dismissed suggestions that the absence of Nigerian forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman weakens the Super Eagles ahead of their meeting at the Luzhniki Stadium.

The international friendly, set to kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday, will see the Super Eagles and Russia continue their preparations ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

However, the Super Eagles will be without some of their top stars, including Napoli striker Osimhen, Atalanta’s Lookman, Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi, and Fulham defender Calvin Bassey.

Despite these omissions, Karpin believes the Super Eagles remain a formidable side.

“Of course. I repeat, I would like to have both Osimhen and Lookman to test our team against the best players,” Karpin told Russian outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda. “But their absence certainly does not make Nigeria fundamentally weaker.”

The Super Eagles come into the match in high spirits after clinching the Unity Cup at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, London.

Nigeria edged Jamaica 5-4 on penalties in the final, after a thrilling 2-2 draw in regulation time. The team had earlier defeated arch-rivals Ghana 2-1 in the semi-final.

Super Eagles manager Éric Chelle, still new in his role, used the Unity Cup as a platform to assess fresh talent. Several new and fringe players impressed during the tournament, providing Chelle with valuable options ahead of competitive fixtures.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, hailed the team’s performance and the strategic value of the tournament.

“First of all, that’s the essence of this type of tournament. It took us some months to put this together, and it was aimed at allowing the coach to see some new players,” Gusau said after the final.

“As you know, he was appointed less than a month before the World Cup qualifiers, so he didn’t have many options but to work with the players he met on the ground.”