Brazil 2014: Mikel, Okocha hail draw against Ethiopia

PUNCH - Mikel Obi and a former captain of the Super Eagles Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha have hailed the Brazil 2014 World Cup draw that has fixed Nigeria against Ethiopia.

Mikel who missed the 2010 World Cup said he was very optimistic that Nigeria would qualify.

Okocha who described the fixture as being very good for Nigeria however warned that the Super Eagles should not take for granted that they are not fixed against any of the countries known as heavyweights.

The former Bolton Wanderer midfielder who spoke with The PUNCH on the telephone on Monday said that no country in the final round of the qualifiers should be treated  like minnows.

He said, “The Ethiopians didn’t get a bye to qualify for this final stage; they worked hard to qualify. We cannot, therefore, afford to take them for granted. We must put our acts together to ensure that we beat them and qualify.

“It is very helpful that the Eagles are playing first in Addis Ababa which is surely an advantage. But we must then use every advantage to our benefit by preparing for the encounter like a real World Cup game. We have no reason not to qualify.”

Okocha who featured in Nigeria’s first World Cup finals in USA ’94 added that comparatively, Nigeria got the best of the fixtures following the draw held in Egypt on Monday.

In their reaction to the draw Eagles led by Mikel Obi have vowed to crush Ethiopia and qualify for the World Cup. The Chelsea midfielder told MTNFootball.com it was a nice draw for the country.

He said, “It was a nice draw. Though I am not afraid of any team, Ethiopia will get thrashed. I am not saying they are not a good team but they are no match to us. We will give our very best as individuals and as a team.”

CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa said that they would give their best as usual to get the World Cup ticket.

“We couldn’t have asked for better opponents. With all due respect to them, they will be beaten well in both legs. We know what Nigerians expect and that is outright victory. We won’t look down on them but we will prepare hard for them,” Musa said.

 Efe Ambrose said that Nigerians should not lose sleep over the opposition.

He said, “They are not a threat to us at any point so they won’t be now, we will not underrate them. We will do our best and see that we beat them.”

Nigeria will face Ethiopia with the first leg in Addis Ababa between October 11-15, while the return leg in Nigeria will be between November 15-19.