Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong says the team is in Russia to beat the hosts when they face off in Friday’s friendly in Moscow, Afrosport reports.
The two countries will be meeting for the first time at senior level with Nigeria unbeaten in their last four matches while the Russians are on an eight-game winning streak and unbeaten in 17 games, dating back to September 2022, winning 11 and drawing six.
Regardless of Russia’s superior form, which have all been in friendlies, Troost-Ekong believes the Super Eagles can cause an upset at the Luzhniki Stadium.
“This is not my first time in Moscow and Russia; I have already played in Krasnodar and Volgograd and other cities in 2018,” the Al-Kholood defender said.
“We walked around the city a little, visited Red Square. But we are here on business; this is not a tourist trip. Together with the coach, we have already discussed how we will act in the match.”
Troost-Ekong added: “We have seen that the Russian team plays aggressively, often using a 4-3-3 formation and high pressing.
“This will not be an easy task for us, but I will not go into details. We know both the strengths and weaknesses of this team.
“We will try to combine different styles – we have an understanding of how to act.
“We have been working with the coach only since the beginning of the year, and this match is a good chance to make our team stronger and continue progressing.
“There are new players in the squad – this is a great opportunity for them to show how they meet the expectations of the coaching staff.”
We ready 🦅🇳🇬 #soarsupereagles pic.twitter.com/lR39bzn9Fc
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) June 5, 2025
The Super Eagles are fresh off winning the Unity Cup 2025 tournament in London where they defeated Caribbean giants Jamaica in the final.
