Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has stated the national team decided to play Argentina in a friendly in Russia because they wanted to see Russia before returning to the country for the 2018 World Cup.

The three-time African champions will face the South American powerhouse on Tuesday evening at the stadium in Krasnodar, starting from 1730 hours Nigerian time.

''Why do we hold a friendly game here in Russia? It turned out that the last match against Algeria in the qualifying tournament for the World Cup was held when we already qualified,'' Rohr told Sport Express Russia.

''It turned out that we were looking for who would play the second match. It was possible to play in Russia against Argentina.

''It is important for us to see how everything is arranged here before coming to Russia in 2018.''

Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw with Algeria in their last competitive game of 2017 before their trip to Krasnodar on Saturday, November 11.

Igho Kingsley