Preview: Russia vs Burkina Faso - prediction, team news, lineups

Stung by a narrow defeat to World Cup-bound Egypt last week, Russia will be looking to respond when they host Burkina Faso at the Volgograd Arena on Friday evening in an international friendly.

Both nations find themselves outside of official FIFA and UEFA competition for contrasting reasons, and with meaningful football unavailable to either side, Friday’s clash offers a rare opportunity to test themselves against unfamiliar opposition in what will be the first-ever meeting between these two national teams.

Match preview

Russia head into Friday’s fixture off the back of a mixed recent run, having beaten Nicaragua 3-1 and drawn goalless with Mali during the March international window before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Egypt in Cairo last Thursday - a performance in which they managed just one shot on target against the World Cup-bound Pharaohs.

Valery Karpin’s side will be eager to return to winning ways on home soil, with a further friendly against Trinidad and Tobago scheduled for next Tuesday, giving the Russia coach additional opportunity to assess his options across the week.

Russia have now been banned from all official FIFA and UEFA competitions for more than four years following the geopolitical sanctions arising from the war in Ukraine, with their last competitive fixture coming in a 1-0 defeat to Croatia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on November 14, 2021 - a suspension that has also seen them miss a second consecutive World Cup, having last appeared at the tournament as hosts in 2018.

Despite that enforced absence from competitive football, Russia have remained active through a steady programme of friendlies, winning 15, drawing eight and losing just three of their 26 such matches across the near five-year period - a record that has kept them ranked 36th in the FIFA World Rankings, above the likes of Wales, Sweden, Serbia, Scotland and Hungary.

Their winless run against African opposition in recent outings, two draws and a defeat from their last three such matches - suggests Karpin’s side cannot take Friday’s assignment lightly, particularly against a Burkina Faso squad that arrives with momentum of its own.

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Burkina Faso endured a cruel end to their World Cup qualifying campaign, picking up 21 points from 10 games and finishing second in Group A, only to miss out on a playoff spot on goal difference after a CAF ruling excluded results against the sixth-placed team when ranking runners-up across the continent.

Since Amir Abdou took charge following their Round of 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations - where they fell 3-0 to Ivory Coast - the Stallions have gone unbeaten in their two matches under the new manager, thrashing Guinea-Bissau 5-0 before drawing 1-1 with the same opposition three days later.

While Burkina Faso sit well below Russia in the FIFA rankings, the gap in quality between the two sides is far from insurmountable, and Abdou will be looking to use Friday’s clash as a meaningful test of his squad’s progress against considerably stronger opposition than they have faced in recent months.

Friday’s match is historically significant as the first-ever head-to-head encounter between Russia and Burkina Faso, with no previous meetings between the two nations to draw upon for reference.

Russia International Friendlies form:

Burkina Faso International Friendlies form:

LWWD

Burkina Faso form (all competitions):

Team News

© Iconsport / BackpagePix

Russia head into Friday’s game with Karpin expected to make changes to the side that was beaten in Cairo, with an eye also on Tuesday’s match against Trinidad and Tobago.

Manchester United academy midfielder Amir Ibragimov, 18, was an unused substitute against Egypt and could be handed some minutes at the Volgograd Arena, while Maksim Glushenkov, Ivan Sergeyev and Ivan Oblyakov are expected to feature in attack.

Viktor Melyokhin, Ilya Vakhaniya, Aleksandr Silyanov and Igor Diveev are all in contention to start at the back as Karpin looks to tighten a defensive unit that was breached once in Cairo.

Abdou has named a 25-man squad for both Friday’s clash and the subsequent friendly against Belarus on June 9, with six new call-ups included in the group.

Among the new faces are 20-year-old defender Cyril Dao, Hanaby Hadalou Sagne and Arthur Zagre - the latter having previously represented France at the under-18 and under-19 level before switching allegiance to Burkina Faso - all of whom could be in line for their senior debuts on Friday.

Goalkeeper Herve Koffi, the most experienced member of the squad with 70 caps, is expected to start between the sticks, though Abdou may also consider handing 22-year-old Kilian Nikiema an opportunity across the two fixtures.

Russia possible starting lineup:

Agkatsev; Vakhaniya, Diveev, Silyanov, Krugovoy; Batrakov, Kislyak, Miranchuk; Glushenkov, Sergeyev, Oblyakov

Burkina Faso possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Kouassi, Nagalo, Tapsoba, Simpore; Sangare, Ouedraogo, Zougrana; Ouattara, Kabore, Irie

We say: Russia 2-1 Burkina Faso

Russia’s superior depth could ultimately prove the difference, though Karpin’s side have looked unconvincing in recent outings and will need to improve significantly on their Cairo performance to avoid another frustrating result.

Burkina Faso’s unbeaten start under Abdou and their attacking output against Guinea-Bissau suggest the Stallions will not simply roll over, and with this being the first meeting between the two nations, Russia are backed to edge a competitive contest that should produce goals at both ends.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.