CALABAR fans will be served a feast of skillful football and pacy runs when the Eaglets of Nigeria tackle South Korea in one of the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The encounter, which has been tagged an intriguing clash of styles and football cultures, will hold at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar. Nigeria will be heading to the match with its 11 game unbeaten run at the championship, with eight wins and three draws. The last defeat the Eaglets suffered was at the 2003 edition, when they lost 0-1 to Argentina in the group stage.

With their superb disciplinary record, the Eaglets became the first host nation in the last 12 years to make it to the quarter-final of the championship. Nigeria and Korea have only met once at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003, where the Asians won 2-1.

With Stanley Okoro, who has been marshalling the Eaglets' midfield now more effective and superb, and Sani Emmanuel's eyes for goals, the Koreans will have to be on their toes throughout the encounter to gain anything from the match. Their never-say-die spirit was at work in their round of 16 match against Mexico, where a last-gasp goal from Kim Dong Jin levelled up the game for the Asians, who went on to dump the South Americans on penalties to set up a quarter-final clash against Nigeria.

Since the kick-off of the championship, putting the balls behind the net has been a problem for the Taeguk Warriors, but they have always found a way of utilising the many chances they create, which may halt Nigeria's unbeaten record today. Coach Jin Su Kim of Korea believes that Nigeria is a familiar foe, having beaten the Eaglets during a tourney in Dubai before this competition began

"We played against Nigeria and we beat them a few months ago in Dubai. So we know them and we understand their way of playing," he said. "But things have changed since then, and the context is completely different in a World Cup.

"Playing against the host country has never been an easy task. We'll enter the pitch with respect for our opponents, but confident in our strength and our chances to win.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's coach John Obuh's faith in his team continues to grow with each passing game. The Kwara United former handler is optimistic that his lads can get another superb outing today, saying: "I have had faith in my team from the start, even with the problems we had at the beginning.

"If we keep our concentration as a team, there is no telling how far we can go. We showed in our last game against New Zealand that we can get the job done and also enjoy our football at the same time."

The winner of the match will take on the victorious side from the Spain/Uruguay contest in the semi-finals taking place in Lagos.

Meanwhile, FIFA has named Englishman Howard Webb as centre referee for the Calabar encounter. Webb will be assisted by compatriots, Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey. The fourth official is Subkhiddin Mohammed Saleh.