PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: John Obi Mikel - Nigeria skipper ready for Argentina clash

by Graeme Jackson

Monday Nov 13, 2017. 10:00

John Obi Mikel is set to lead Nigeria again when they face Argentina in a high-profile friendly clash in Krasnodar, Russia, on Tuesday evening.

The veteran midfielder played the full 90 minutes for the Super Eagles on Friday when they were held 1-1 by Algeria in their final Group B match in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The result was merely academic for both teams, with Nigeria having already secured top spot and qualification for Russia 2018 last month, while Algeria ended bottom of the log despite the point gained.

Mikel will now turn his attention to a match against the South American heavyweights which will serve as great preparation for the 2018 finals.

The friendly is set to be played at the FK Krasnodar Stadium (which will not be used during the World Cup) on Tuesday evening, kick-off at 18h30 CAT.

Argentina come into the match having beaten Russia 1-0 in Moscow on Saturday thanks to a goal from Sergio Aguero.

Some bad news for Super Eagles fans is that they will not have the chance to see the great Lionel Messi in action, as the Barcelona forward has been allowed to skip the match against Nigeria.

Nonetheless, Mikel and his teammates will still be able to test their skills against a team which can call on the likes of Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Nicolas Otamendi, Javier Mascherano and Paulo Dybala.