The Super Eagles will slug it out with Head Coach Stephen Keshi said yesterday that his side will take it one game at a time.
Upbeat midfielder Mikel Obi vowed that the team would do well.
The Super Eagles will play Iran at 8.pm Nigerian time at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba.
The Super Eagles will be hoping to better their two previous World Cup positions, where they failed to get out of the group stage in 2002 and 2010.
However, Keshi said, their focus is on Carlos Quieroz’s side today and the team has ambition to make Nigeria and Africa proud.
Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina are the other teams in the group.
”Today, as I speak, I know we are going to play Iran on June 16. There are two other matches in the group phase, against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina, but our focus for now is what we must achieve against Iran in Curitiba.” Keshi told Team Nigeria
”There would have been no reason to take part in the qualifying series if we didn’t believe we would make it to the finals, and there would have been no reason to prepare so hard for the finals if we knew we were only coming to Brazil to make up the number.
”I have a group of players who believe in themselves. They want to go as far as they can in Brazil, and the formula we will employ is to look at what is immediately in front of us and focus and plan on how to tackle it.”
While the Super Eagles boss believes inexperience grounded the Eagles in 1994 and 1998, he believes there is a good blend of youth and experience in the current squad.
”Both situations were unfortunate. That is why you must always focus on your immediate challenge. We definitely lost to inexperience in 1994. Here in Brazil, we have a mixture of youth and experience. We are ready to fly.”
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Aminu Maigari said the Super Eagles were ready for their World Cup opener, adding that the spirit in the camp is good.
”Our boys are ready for this task. I have been with the team all the way from London (friendly with Scotland) to their final camping in the USA and now here in Brazil.
“The presence of the Federal Government delegation, the kind words of the members of the delegation and the arrival of the NFF delegation have all boosted the morale of our team in a big way. The boys know that the government and people of Nigeria are with them and they know what they have to do to make Nigeria and Africa proud. The spirit is good and I believe they will go all out.”
Mikel Obi reiterated Nigeria’s ambition to do well. Having missed the previous showpiece in South Africa through injury, Mikel has admitted that he is keen to achieve something with the team, in his maiden appearance at the Mundial.
“This is my first World Cup. I want to make sure we achieve something coming here. We don’t just want to come and make up the numbers; we want to do well,” Mikel told FIFA’s official website before the team left for Curitiba.
“I have to make sure I lead by example. We are all driving in the same direction. We all know what we want and, hopefully, we will have a good tournament.”
Just like in 1994, Nigeria came to the World Cup as African champions. Mikel believes that that achievement has given the Super Eagles extra motivation to do well and satisfy the weighty expectations of the continent. “We know we’re the African champions and people expect us to do well, to represent the African continent. That’s a bit more extra pressure but it’s pressure that we love. We love to be African champions,” he said.
Nigeria will be facing a side that is built around a solid defensive base but with few technically gifted players in attack. Iran will aim to frustrate a Nigeria side that is naturally better suited to counter-attack out of its comfort zone.
Iran manager Queiroz sets up his side to defend, likely in a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 shape, relying on experience and discipline (11 of the 23 members over the age of 30) to maintain its defensive shape so that it is tough to beat. Highlighting the strength of this defensive unit, Iran conceded just seven goals in 16 qualifying matches on the road to Brazil; although the asterisk alongside this figure is the level of competition that Iran met during qualifying was usually of inferior quality to what it will meet at the World Cup.
If there’s a plus in Iran’s attack, it is Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah, who will either start out wide on the left or in the hole behind striker Reza Ghoochannejhad of Charlton.
Nigeria’s front three will be charged with breaking down the Iranian defence. Mikel is usually deployed as the most attacking member of Nigeria’s midfield trio, lining up in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 shape.
