Mikel Obi Sends Message to Super Eagles Players Ahead of World Cup Playoff vs Gabon
- Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has a message for the players ahead of the World Cup playoff against Gabon
- The Chelsea legend has urged the players to maintain focus and make a statement with the match against the Panthers
- The Super Eagles stars have begun arriving at camp in Rabat, Morocco, ahead of the must-win match on Thursday
Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has fired a message to the Nigerian national team players ahead of their World Cup playoff against Gabon.
Nigeria will face the Panthers of Gabon on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat at 8 pm Nigerian time.
Source: Getty Images
If Nigeria beats Gabon, they will face one of Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final of the African playoff for a slot at the intercontinental playoff.
According to NFF, the camp opened at the Rive Hotel in Rabat on Sunday, with 14 players already in camp as of the time of writing this report.
Mikel Obi sends message to Super Eagles players
Nigerian football legend Mikel Obi has charged the Super Eagles players ahead of the playoff after expressing confidence in the team’s ability.
“I am very confident, coming from the way we finished the last two games, the momentum I think that we've built, the players now knowing, getting the feeling of what it means for us not to qualify for the World Cup,” he said on the Obi One Podcast.
“Now they have that feeling. Now they can feel that pressure, and I think now they know the magnitude of not going to the World Cup. It's going to be a disaster.”
Mikel, who played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and missed the 2010 edition due to an injury has warned that the team should remain focused on Gabon before thinking of a second match
“It's going to be tough. It's going to be really, really tough. Difficult game. Games that are going to be played in Morocco. There are no home fans. There's no home advantage. You're playing in a no man's land,” he added.
“So we need to find a way of winning those games. We need to find a way of going past Gabon first, winning that. That's what we need to do first.”
“Don't think ahead of playing either Cameroon or whoever. No, Gabon, we need to win.”
Source: Getty Images
Mikel was part of the last Super Eagles squad which won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the last time Nigeria featured.
The former Chelsea midfielder understands the magnitude of the task at hand for Eric Chelle and his players, hence his passionate message to the team.
Okocha predicted Nigeria vs Gabon
Legit.ng previously reported that Austin JJ Okocha predicted the outcome of the crucial World Cup playoff match between Nigeria and Gabon.
The former captain admits that so far there is a glimmer of hope, he believes that the players will get the job done even though it's going to be in the hard way.
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Source: Legit.ng
