Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has expressed disappointment over the absence of Russia goalkeeper Matvey Safonov ahead of Tuesday evening’s international friendly.
Simon, who is expected to captain Nigeria in the absence of Wilfred Ndidi, praised Safonov’s quality and described the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper as a very good player.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Simon said it would have been interesting to test himself against Safonov, who will miss the encounter with Nigeria.
"It's a shame Safonov won't play; he's a good player. It would be interesting for me and the other players to test him a couple of times,” Simon said at the pre-match press conference.
The Paris FC winger said that if Safonov is unavailable, Nigeria would look to score against the goalkeeper who replaces him, while praising the Russian for his impressive ability to make saves in one-on-one situations.
“If he doesn't play, we'll try to score against another goalie. Matvey is a good player; I played against him. He makes excellent saves in one-on-one situations," he added.
The Nigerian international made his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles in their 2-1 victory over Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
Simon will now be hoping to help Nigeria return to winning ways following their 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will face Russia on Tuesday, October 6, at the Sovcombank Arena in Nizhny Novgorod.
Adeyemi Adewale
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