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Mikel upbeat about African Cup qualifier against Egypt

Xinhua, March 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Super Eagles' midfield maestro Obi Mikel said chances are high that Nigeria will defeat Egypt in an African Cup of Nation qualifier on Friday.

The Chelsea FC midfielder on Wednesday told reporters in the northwestern state of Kaduna, venue of the match, that the major priority for the Super Eagles is to defeat the visiting team and boost the team's chances of qualifying for the 2017 African Cup of Nations in Gabon, next year.

"The Egyptians are ahead of us in the qualifiers, we therefore have to win on Friday so as to go above them on the table. Friday's match is really the big one and we are playing at home. We are ready for the Egyptians," he said.

Egypt are presently topping Group G in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series with six points after beating Chad and Tanzania, while Nigeria is in second place with four points.

The development means Nigeria will need at least bag four points in the upcoming games to overtake the seven-time African champions who surprisingly have missed out on the last three editions of the African tourney. Endit