Speaking ahead of the friendly match between England and Nigeria billed for the 2nd of June at Wembley stadium London, captain of the Nigerian national team, John Obi Mikel, has stated how key the match will be to both team's world cup preparations and of the fond memories of his time in the England.
According the thenff.com, Mikel, who spent 11 years in England playing for Chelsea, was quoted as saying: "The match comes up only two weeks before our first match at the FIFA World Cup. It will be a big occasion and a big match for both teams as we both look forward to our respective first matches in Russia.
England is a special place for me having spent so many years playing there, and it is one country I love to go to. We (Super Eagles) are already talking to ourselves and everyone is looking forward to the game.”
Nigeria take on Croatia in their first match at the 21st FIFA World Cup finals at the Kaliningrad Stadium on Saturday, 16th June before games against Iceland (Volgograd; 22nd June) and Argentina (Saint Petersburg; 26th June) in Group D.
England, on their part, will play their first match against Tunisia (Volgograd; 18th June) before matches against Panama (Nizhny Novgorod; 24th June) and Belgium (Kaliningrad; 28th June) in Group G.