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Russia and Zenit Saint Petersburg midfielder Andrei Mostovoy has dismissed concerns over the absence of Nigeria’s top stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman from the Super Eagles squad ahead of their friendly clash in Moscow, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria manager Eric Chelle has named a 21-man squad for the high-profile encounter at the Luzhniki Stadium on June 6, but Napoli-linked striker Osimhen and Europa League final hero Lookman are notable omissions.
Reports suggest the pair have opted out of the trip due to end-of-season fatigue and ongoing transfer considerations, with both attackers heavily linked with moves this summer.
Speaking to Russian news outlet TASS, Mostovoy played down their absence, saying:
“We have normal opponents in June. Belarus was there last year, it will be very interesting with Nigeria.
“The fact that some of the stars of the Nigerian team will not come does not change anything in terms of the team’s mood, we have played with weaker opponents before. Nigeria is a very interesting opponent, it will be interesting to play. Of course, we will go into this match with maximum mood.”
Despite the loss of their two biggest names, the Super Eagles’ frontline still looks menacing. The squad includes six forwards from Europe’s top-five leagues: Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Moses Simon (Nantes), Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen), and Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad).
Russia will also face Belarus in Minsk four days after the Nigeria clash.
