Moses Simon is expected to captain a revamped Super Eagles side 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 for Moscow on Thursday night ahead of the encounter.
Home-based players Chibuzor Atata, Aderemi Adeoye and Kenneth Igboke also travelled with the squad.
With Wilfred Ndidi withdrawing from the fixture, Simon emerges as the most experienced player in the team and is set to provide leadership against the Russians.
Head coach Éric Chelle has combined experienced campaigners with new faces as he continues to assess his squad ahead of future international assignments.
Stanley Nwabali, Emmanuel Fernandez, Benjamin Fredrick, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Raphael Onyedika and Akor Adams are among those included.
Experienced forward Kelechi Iheanacho has also returned to the squad following a promising start to his spell with Turkish club Bursaspor.
Akpe Victory, Suleiman Mubarak, Peter Edokpolor, Abdullahi Umar and Chibuzo Nwoko could all make their senior international debuts.
The encounter will take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium and will be Nigeria and Russia’s second meeting in 16 months.
