Nigeria’s captain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup John Obi Mikel has insisted that Croatia does not rest their key players in Tuesday's final Group D match with Iceland since they hope to seal their spot in the next round with a full win over Argentina.
The Super Eagles can qualify for the last sixteen if they win the Argentines or if the match ends in a draw and Croatia defeats Iceland.
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has reportedly said that he will rest key players against Iceland and there is talk that ten changes will be made to the starting lineup that played Argentina.
”I don't think it's the best thing to do. This is a massive tournament – you can't rest people and give others a chance of qualification,” Mikel told reporters after the Super Eagles win against Iceland.
“They should be professional and play their best team. This is such a big stage that you can't rest players just to help other teams to qualify.”
The former Chelsea star has mentioned that a scan will be carried out on him on Saturday to establish the extent of a wrist injury he suffered in the closing minutes of the game against Iceland.
”You can see that my wrist is injured and had to be bandaged. I will do a scan today to know the extent of the injury.
”You can also see that the wrist is swollen but hopefully I should be ready for the Argentina match.
”The match will be very tough but we have to be ready and hope that all our best legs are available and injury free.
”We will work very hard in training and on the pitch to get a victory against Argentina on Tuesday,” Mikel told SportingLife.ng.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
