Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel has urged his team-mates to treat today's international friendly against Congo DR seriously, as a win will boost the team's confidence at the Russia 2018 World Cup tournament.
Mikel Obi
Ahead of today’s friendly football match between Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo, Super Eagles captain, Obi Mikel has said that himself and teammates are supremely motivated to battle any opposition hands down.
Mikel stated that the international friendly match on Monday at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, will not be an easy one for Gernot Rohr’s men.
“We do not expect the Congolese to be easy opposition. They have a strong team made up of very talented players and we know this is one good opposition for us to confront before going to the World Cup,” Mikel told thenff.com.
“The FIFA World Cup is no picnic. We have to arrive in Russia with a winning mentality and you get that feeling of being ready only after beating strong teams."
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has thrown in his own motivational factor by telling his ‘soldiers’ that five players would be cut from the provisional list of 30 after today’s encounter, leaving him with only two more to dispense with when announcing the final squad in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Austria on Monday next week.
This declaration, plus Obi’s assertion of the need for winning mentality, will propel the Eagles to give their all on Monday, against a squad that nearly grabbed a World Cup ticket for itself.
However, players like Odion Ighalo, William Troost-Ekong and Simon Moses remain major doubts for the game billed for the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.