Former Super Eagles of Nigeria captain, John Mikel Obi, in his interview with the CAF online has asserted that Nigeria is one of the favorites to win the 2023 AFCON.
The 2013 African Cup of Nation winning player revealed that though the Super are not the massive favourite but definitely one of the favorites to lift the continental trophy.
“We are always favourites, this is every time we go into the tournament, and it’s no different this time,” the former Chelsea midfielder told CAF online.
“Everyone knows that we are one of the favourites – not the massive favourite but definitely one of the favorites.”
The three-time champions are drawn in Group A with host Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.
Furthermore, Mikel said winning the tournament would be a massive achievement for the country, especially at this moment.
“To be able to do it again will be a massive achievement for us, which I think the country needs right now as well. We need to get our football back where it should be and by winning this tournament, it will take it back to where it should be.
“Football has changed dramatically, and I think this group of players are a good young team and play a different brand of football than we did, so let’s hope we can see a good performance from the Nigerian team,” he said.
The Super Eagles will begin their campaign on January 14 against Equatorial Guinea, then face the host four days later, their last game of group A will be against Guinea-Bissau on January 22.