Malawi Can't Surprise Us-Mikel ,Oduamadi

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.

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