The captain of the senior national team of Nigeria John Obi Mikel has called on Croatia to be professionals and play their best players against Iceland in their final group D game.
Coach of Croatia Zlatko Dalic said he won’t parade his best players against Iceland, a game which Nigeria need them to at leat draw to stand a chance of progressing to the next round, if they are able to beat or draw against Argentina.
Dalic said he has players who are on the brink of suspension hence he won’t risk them against Nigeria as his side are already through to the round of 16, where a win or draw will see them finish as group leaders.
Mikel was asked about the plans of the coach and the captain of Nigeria who led his team to a 2-0 morale boosting win over Iceland yesterday showed hus displeasure over the move.
“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. 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.”
Osas Mahawi
