AFRICAN champions, Super Eagles say they are ready to test their might against North and Central American champions, Mexico, in an international friendly aimed at preparing both teams for their different Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers in June.
The game will hold at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas,Friday.
The Super Eagles’ contingent to the match arrived in the US on Tuesday afternoon, landing at the Houston International Airport at exactly 2:40pm local time (8:40pm Nigerian time) after an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt, Germany.
The team was received by Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Emeka Inyama, and Jairo Pachon, NFF’s FIFA match agent, who is organising the big match alongside the Match Agent of Federacion Mexicana de Futball Association, Mexico’s football body.
After airport formalities, the delegation was driven to its The Westin Galleria hotel in West Alabama and immediately had lunch. In order to shake off jet-lag, the team set out for evening training and was also scheduled to train on yesterday evening to get used to evening period of the match.
Ukraine-based forward, Brown Ideye joined the team almost immediately, and Head Coach, Keshi said he is confident the African champions would do the continent proud in the ‘Game of Continental Kings.’
“We are here to give a good account of ourselves as a team and also as the champion team of Africa. Definitely, we want to take a look at a couple of new players and see what they have to offer. But we take this match serious as it will prepare us for crucial encounters in the next few weeks,” Keshi told the media at the Houston International Airport.
Heartland left back, Benjamin Francis told MTNFootball.com that they are not afraid of facing CONCACAF champions Mexico as that will be a good test for Eagles ahead of Kenya clash.
“It will be a cracker even though this is a friendly, but we don’t want to lose. I am sure Mexico too won’t want to lose. It is a preparatory game for our World Cup qualifier against Kenya. We will go all out,” said Francis, who seeks to establish himself in the team following several withdrawals leading up to this match-up.
Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Fegor Ogude have pulled out, but the squad have been boosted by the late arrivals of Vincent Enyeama, Elderson Echiejile, Efe Ambrose and Ogenyi Onazi.
Former Barcelona starlet, Giovanni dos Santos and Manchester United striker, Javier Hernandez ‘Chicharito’ will lead the Mexico attack against Nigeria.
Nigeria play Kenya and Namibia away in crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches on June 5 and June 12 respectively, before flying into Brazil through South Africa.
The two teams are preparing for big dates in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil, with Nigeria to play World and European champions, Spain, South American champions, Uruguay and Oceania champions, Tahiti in Group B.
Mexico, in Group A, will clash with host Brazil and Italy (who have nine World Cup titles between them), as well as Asian champions, Japan.
Tomorrow’s match will start at 8pm (2am Saturday in Nigeria).
Green declared, “we have what it takes to rule the world and that is why the president has said the team must be focused and I think right now we have a very solid working relationship with all necessary members of the team.”
Inyama on his part praised the maturity of Maigari in handling the fall-out of the AFCON 2013 win, declaring that all key members of the team have been recalled for the overall success of the Super Eagles in the qualifiers for Brazil 2014.
Inyama is the leader of the delegation to the friendly in the United States against CONCACAF champions, Mexico.
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