Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has said the national team has no option than to defeat Chipolopolo of Zambia in next month World Cup qualifying game in Uyo for the Nigerian flag to be hoisted in Russia.
In an interview with Nigeria based portal AOIfootball.com,Mikel said they would do everything possible to beat Zambia on the crucial Match Day 5 of the qualifiers.
“I just love to play and win; we have to do what we know how to do best. We have to play with one mindset, irrespective of the opponents. The Zambia match will not be an exception. We are going to give it our all and make sure we collect all maximum points and seal our qualification to Russia,”he said.
The former Chelsea star however admitted that Zambia will be a hard nut to crack and hopes all of his teammates will be injury free for them to play the ‘group decider’.
“The next game against Zambia is not an easy game but we are fully prepared for it. We know we are close to qualifying and come our next game in Uyo, we will beat Zambia.
“Hopefully, the guys can stay fit for us to have a complete squad because we don’t want a situation where we rue the absence of our best players. We want to take our destiny in our own hands and avoid unnecessary permutations,” Mikel added.
Nigeria are top of Group B with 10 points, three more than Zambia who are second with 7 points.They would book a ticket to Russia if they beat against Zambia in Uyo on October 7 when the qualifiers resume.