My Russian wife’s relatives expect Nigeria at the World Cup -Mikel

Super Eagles skipper, John Mikel Obi, is optimistic about helping the national team clinch a ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

The 30-year old, who is married to Russian Olga Diyachenko, says his in-laws will not accept any excuse if Nigeria do not qualify for the global event.

Nigeria are currently leading the qualifying group with four points above Cameroon, having won their first two qualifying matches against Algeria and Zambia.

Mikel, who has just recovered from an injury and set to rejoin the team ahead of their next qualifier, said his wife’s relatives are keen on seeing the Nigerian team at Russia next year’s summer.

“My wife is Russian,” the Tianjin Teda midfielder told Fifa website.

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“And many of our relatives and friends are from Russia. They are all expecting Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup. I think they will kill me if I fail them,” he added, laughing.

Nigeria will face Cameroon in a crucial home game in Uyo on August 31, and Mikel expressed confidence that a win for the Super Eagles will edge them closer to Russia.

“As everyone knows, they (Cameroon) are a very good team,” he said.

“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.”

He added: “We are in a very good position in our group. “We have two wins from two games. “We have a very good young team and the players play good football.”

The Eagles will play at home against Cameroon on August 31 and travel to play the reverse fixture less than a week later.

 

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