MOSCOW- Nigeria defender Chidi Odiah is confident that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but only if they treat all their group opponents with equal respect.
Nigeria have been drawn in what appears to be a relatively favourable group with Tunisia, Kenya and Mozambique, and the CSKA defender is confident that the Super Eagles will prevail.
“I think we have a good chance to qualify. Tunisia is a good team. I see them and Kenya as teams
that will fight us all the way. But the better side will always win and I believe that our results in the last round shows that we are the better team,” Odiah told KickOffNigeria.com soon after the draws were made in Zurich.
But the defender warned that the team would need to beware of the internal pitfalls that cost them qualification for the 2006 event.
“We will have to take every game seriously. We can’t be selecting which match to play and which one not to play. We have to treat all our opponents in the same way. We don’t have to see them as different people. We have to see them all as equal with us and play them the same way.
“If we start looking at one team as stronger than the other one, then we will be in trouble.
We cannot be seeing one side as weaker side. If we do that, it is not good for us psychologically because that means we are underrating them.”
Odiah also admitted that there was always an element of luck involved after all the hardwork.
“It depends on what you put in and then a bit of luck. If we put our house together, and stay focused, we will surely qualify.
“Right now, we are doing well because there is continuity and stability in the team, the team spirit is good, everybody is coming for all the matches and also reporting early.
“If we continue like this, we will qualify because we are the only ones who can stop ourselves.”
The qualifiers start in March 2009 with the group winners qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the top three teams qualifying for the African Nations Cup in Angola the same year.
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