Malawi can’t surprise us – Mikel, Oduamadi

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

Mikel Obi

The Super Eagles have ruled out any form of surprise from the visiting Flames of Malawi as both sides prepare for the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier holding in Calabar on Saturday.

Nigeria need only a draw to advance to the knock-out stage of the qualifying series, while Malawi must get maximum points from the encounter to progress in the competition.

While Malawi coach, Tom Saintfiet, had several times assured his employers that they will win the game, promising to shock the Super Eagles on their turf  at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, the Nigeria players on Thursday dismissed any such threat from the Belgian.

Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, said the Eagles had grown beyond falling to new tricks in the game, insisting that they were prepared for the encounter.

“We have a very good coach who understands the team; everything has worked out fine for Nigeria since (Stephen) Keshi took and I’m positive Saturday’s game will not be different,” Mikel said.

“We don’t underrate any team, that’ll be unprofessional, but I don’t think there’s any new trick (from them) we can’t handle.”

Mikel added that he is at his best playing for Nigeria, admitting that he had to step up his game after the fans were critical of him.

He said, “The fans were a bit hard on me, but understand (their feelings) because it was because of the love they had for me. They want me to play better, and now I’m playing better than before.”

Oduamadi, who only arrived in Calabar on Thursday after a flight glitch, said the team were aware of the desperation in the Malawian team and would be prepared for the unexpected.

“It’s always good to expect surprises especially when it comes to crucial games. But we’ve played several games against very strong sides so we know we have an idea of what to expect on Saturday,” Oduamadi said.