Rangers have allowed Emmanuel Fernandez to travel to Russia with Nigeria for Tuesday's international friendly despite several clubs refusing to release their players for the controversial fixture.
Fernandez is part of Eric Chelle's Nigeria squad in Nizhny Novgorod and is one of 18 Super Eagles players who have made the trip for the meeting with Russia.
The Rangers defender's involvement comes after Nigeria revealed that a number of clubs had prevented their players from travelling because of the fixture's location and the wider circumstances surrounding Russia.
Eintracht Frankfurt stopped midfielder Raphael Onyedika from making the journey, while Bright Osayi-Samuel and UAE-based midfielder Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola were also blocked by their clubs.
Austria-based Moses Usor was another player who was unavailable after LASK refused permission for him to travel, despite Chelle requesting his inclusion.
The situation has left Nigeria with a heavily weakened squad, with captain Wilfred Ndidi also missing through injury and Victory Akpe, once linked with Rangers, ruled out after suffering an injury.
Fernandez, however, has been permitted by Derek McInnes and Rangers to make the trip and could feature against Russia.
Chelle explains Nigeria's difficult situation
Chelle admitted that the refusal of clubs to release players had forced Nigeria to change their plans and bring younger players into the squad.
“The context, we cannot bring the club, they don't want to let the player come here. So, we have to manage the situation, this is why we bring some young players.” He explained.
“We lost our last game, but my expectation for this game is to give them an opportunity to show what they can do against a big team.
“They are very motivated, we play every time we want to win, so we try to give the best for this jersey.
“We play against a special team; they put a lot of intensity when they don't have the ball and a lot of aggressiveness.
“I can predict that tomorrow, they will have a lot of intensity and aggressiveness. At the end, I want to see a good game against a big national team.”
Why Russia are only playing friendlies
The fixture also comes against the backdrop of Russia's continued exclusion from competitive international football following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
In February 2022, FIFA and UEFA jointly suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from their competitions until further notice. The decision was made following the escalation of the war in Ukraine, with the governing bodies stating their solidarity with those affected by the conflict.
That suspension remains in place. UEFA's current 2026/27 competition information states that all Russian teams remain suspended from participation in UEFA competitions until further notice.
As a result, Russia cannot currently compete in UEFA's competitive tournaments, meaning the national team has been restricted to friendly matches rather than Nations League or European Championship competition.
That distinction is important for Tuesday's fixture. Russia's participation in a friendly against Nigeria does not mean the FIFA and UEFA suspension has been lifted.
It is the unusual nature of the match, taking place in Russia while the country's teams remain excluded from competitive football, that has contributed to some clubs taking a different approach to releasing their players.
Rangers defender Fernandez now has the opportunity to add another international appearance to his growing experience with the Super Eagles, while Chelle attempts to navigate a significantly depleted squad against a Russia side eager to continue its limited international programme.
The match kicks off at 17:00 GMT tonight.
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