Super Eagles Ready For Russia Battle As Moses Simon Vows Victory

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has declared that Nigeria are determined to return to winning ways when they face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, October 6.

The match, scheduled for 5 p.m., comes just days after Nigeria suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Speaking at Monday’s pre-match press conference, Simon said the Super Eagles travelled to Russia with the intention of securing victory rather than merely fulfilling a fixture.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the Paris FC winger stressed that the long journey to Russia had strengthened the team’s determination to produce a positive result.

“We didn’t come here to lose; we can’t fly for long hours to come here to lose. We came to win also,” Simon said.

He also played down the idea that Nigeria would depend on individual stars, insisting that every player in the squad had an important role to play.

“I’m not the only star; every young player in the team is also a star. This is our job; we go everywhere to play, we signed for it, so we will go and give everything,” he added.

Simon is among the most experienced players in Éric Chelle’s 19-man squad after several key players withdrew from the trip because of injuries, club restrictions and other challenges.

The winger is expected to captain the Super Eagles against Russia as Chelle works with a significantly reduced squad. Late invitee Ibrahim Ajasa of FC Rostov joined the team in Russia, taking the number of available players to 19.

Kelechi Iheanacho has also returned to the national team after enjoying an impressive run of form for Turkish second-tier side Bursaspor, where he has reportedly scored 11 goals in eight matches.

Nigeria completed their final training session at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Monday evening as preparations for the friendly were concluded.

Russia, meanwhile, enter the encounter unbeaten in their last four matches and will be seeking to make home advantage count.

The two nations last met in June 2025 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, where they played out a 1-1 draw. Russia took the lead through a Semi Ajayi own goal before Tolu Arokodare equalised for Nigeria.

The Super Eagles will now be looking to secure a stronger result as they seek to put their recent AFCON qualifying setback behind them.