By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Moses Simon is set to lead a revamped Super Eagles squad when Nigeria take on Russia in an international friendly next Tuesday.
The Paris FC winger was among the Nigerian players who left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday night as the team travelled to Moscow for the fixture.
Home-based trio Chibuzor Atata, Aderemi Adeoye and Kenneth Igboke were also included in the travelling party.
Simon is expected to take on a leadership role following the withdrawal of captain Wilfred Ndidi.
With Ndidi unavailable, the experienced winger is now the senior figure in a squad that features a mix of established internationals and promising newcomers.
Head coach Éric Chelle has used the friendly to assess a number of players as he continues to build his squad ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming international engagements.
Stanley Nwabali is among the goalkeepers selected, while Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Fredrick and Bright Osayi-Samuel are expected to feature in defence. Raphael Onyedika and Akor Adams are also part of the squad.
Chelle has further boosted his attacking options with the return of experienced forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who has made an encouraging start to his time at Turkish club Bursaspor.
Several players could make their senior international debuts against Russia, including Akpe Victory, Suleiman Mubarak, Peter Edokpolor, Abdullahi Umar and Chibuzo Nwoko.
The encounter is scheduled to take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium and will mark the second meeting between Nigeria and Russia in the space of 17 months.
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