National Teams
2013 winner John Obi Mikel predicts African Cup of Nations 2023 finalists
By: Monsurah Olatunji
Former Nigeria captain Mikel John Obi has declared the winner of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be either Nigeria or hosts, Ivory Coast.
Nigeria has been placed in Group A alongside hosts, Cotê d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau in what is expected to be a difficult group.
As the West Africans gear up for the continental showdown slated for January 2024, the former Chelsea midfielder, who played a crucial part in Nigeria’s last AFCON triumph in 2013, analyzed the first step to glory.
“I think we will escape the group, I think it’s gonna be between us and Ivory Coast to come out of the group, I hope and I think,” Obi Mikel told Pulse Sports.
“And then after that, it will become anyone’s game because that’s what happens in this tournament.
“I remember when we won it, we wanted to come out of the group first and then when you come out of the group, you start to take each game as it comes.
“It becomes much more of a mind game and that’s when you have to start concentrating. The boys should look forward to coming out of the group first and then take it one game at a time.”
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