Mikel: My Russian Wife Will Kill Me if Eagles Fail to Qualify

Hopeful Nigeria will win double-header against Cameroon

Super Eagles Captain, John Mikel Obi has introduced a new dimension to why Nigeria must qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, stressing that he cannot afford to fail his Russian wife by not leading the three-time African champions to the Mundial.

The former Chelsea midfielder who switched to Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League last January, told FIFA.com yesterday that qualifying the Super Eagles for Russia 2018 is a task that must be accomplished for personal fulfillment.

“My wife is Russian and many of our relatives and friends are from Russia. They are all expecting Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup Russia is hosting. I think they will kill me if I fail them,” joked the 30-year old Mikel who returned to the game after recuperating from the surgery he had several weeks ago.

Nigeria with six maximum points from two games is already four points clear of second-placed Cameroon and five ahead of Zambia and Algeria. The Super Eagles are billed to take on the Indomitable Lions in a must win double-header clashes in Uyo and Yaounde on September 1 and 4 respectively.

Mikel believes Eagles will triumphed over the current African champion, Cameroon.

“We are in a very good position in our group. We have two wins from two games, and in our last game we beat Algeria at home. We have a very good young team and the players play good football. If we can win our next match (at home to Cameroon September 1) it will edge us closer to qualification. I think we can go through,” observed the Eagles captain.

He however warned his colleagues in the Super Eagles and Nigerian football fans not to take the Lions for granted.

“As everyone knows, they (Cameroon) are a very good team. They are strong and they play with confidence. We must get ourselves well prepared for this game and try our best to get on top against them. It won’t be easy but these are important matches. If we win both, we will be almost there,” reasoned Mikel.

The former Blues midfielder is upbeat about their prospects of topping the table and claiming the section’s sole spot to Russia 2018.