Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has said he and his teammates did not travel for long hours to Russia just to lose in Tuesday’s international friendly game.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Monday ahead of the friendly encounter at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Simon was in bullish mood.
“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.
“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.”
Simon is one of the few experienced player in the current 19-man squad for the tie as the likes of captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Raphael Onyedika withdrew due to injury and club clearance issues.
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The 30-year-old Paris FC star is expected to captain the side on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles are under pressure after a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers last week in Bissau.
Coach Eric Chelle has been forced to field a largely experimental squad, with Kelechi Iheanacho returning after 11 goals in eight games for Turkish second division club Bursaspor.
Russia, who are unbeaten in their last four games, drew 1-1 with the Super Eagles in Moscow in June, 2025, and will be looking to go one better on home soil.
By James Agberebi
