The Technical Adviser of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr has declared on Thursday that boys are “physically and mentally ready” for their first match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals coming up on Saturday against Croatia.
Rohr, a former German international defender who coached the national senior teams of Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Gabon, and top Tunisia Club Etoile du Sahel before taking charge of the Super Eagles two years ago, insisted that his wards are in no mood to play second fiddle at the Kaliningrand Stadium.
“We are looking forward to the match with a lot of optimism. It will be a tough one, but we are physically and mentally ready. We had quality preparatory matches and trained twice at our final camp in Austria, and since arriving in Essentuki, we have done some useful tactical preparation.
“It is important to start well in a good tournament like this, and that is what we hope to do on Saturday,” Rohr told the world media on Thursday.
The Super Eagles flew into the Kaliningrad Khrabrovo Airport on Thursday evening from Essentuki, about 48 hours to the clash with Croatia at the 35,000 –capacity Kaliningrad Stadium.