Moses Simon has told the Super Eagles’ critics and Russia alike that Nigeria did not fly across continents to lose. The winger is expected to captain a reshaped side in Nizhny Novgorod.
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Moses Simon has promised the Super Eagles will go all out against Russia on Tuesday, October 6. The 30-year-old Paris FC winger made his feelings clear at Monday’s pre-match press conference in Nizhny Novgorod.
“We didn’t come here to lose,” Simon told reporters. He stressed that the younger players in the group matter just as much as he does, and that the team will give everything on the pitch.
A Depleted Squad Leans on Simon
Simon is one of the few experienced names left in the travelling party and is expected to wear the armband. Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Raphael Onyedika have all dropped out because of injuries and club clearance problems.
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Kelechi Iheanacho gives Eric Chelle a boost of a different kind. The forward is back in the fold after scoring 11 goals in eight games for Turkish second division side Bursaspor.
Pressure After Bissau
The mood around the team is tense. Nigeria were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau in Bissau on September 29 in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, and Chelle has had to build a largely experimental group since.
Russia arrive in good shape, unbeaten in their last four games. They will fancy their chances of beating the Eagles on home soil.
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Why This Friendly Matters
A friendly carries no qualifying points, but this one carries plenty of weight for Chelle. After a 3-0 loss, how will a thin squad respond when the pressure is on?
Simon’s words are the right ones to hear. Words win nothing on their own, though, and the coach needs to see which of the fringe players want a shirt badly enough to fight for it.
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📌 Did You Know?
- Nigeria and Russia last met on June 6, 2025 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, a 1-1 draw. Russia led through a first half own goal by Semi Ajayi before Tolu Arokodare levelled in the 71st minute.
- The Nizhny Novgorod Stadium holds 44,000 people and was one of the venues for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Nigeria are 26th in the FIFA world rankings, nine places above 35th-placed Russia.
- Neither side played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Nigeria failed to qualify, and Russia also stayed home.
- Chelle named two separate 24-man squads, one for the AFCON qualifiers and one for this friendly.
- Before the qualifiers, Nigeria drew 2-2 with Poland in Warsaw and lost 2-1 to Portugal in Leiria.
- The 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign opened on September 25 against Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
