Afcon 2013: I believe in Keshi

Nigeria skipper Joseph Yobo has again backed his team’s chances at the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on Saturday in Johannesburg. The Super Eagles have won the competition twice, but the last time they did so was 19 years ago.

But skipper Yobo said on arrival in South Africa on Thursday that he expects the team made up of as many as 17 AFCON debutants to gain in confidence as the tournament progresses and thus improve their chances.

“I believe in this team. I believe in the chief coach as well as the other coaches,” said the Fenerbache defender.

“We have a lot of young players in the team with a few experienced ones, which tells you this is a good team going into the tournament. “We started this journey slowly after we did not qualify for the last tournament. But now we have qualified. That is why we are here and we will take it a game at a time.

Yobo

“I have a lot of experience going into this tournament (this is his record sixth AFCON) and we are not under pressure to come and win it but as we progress, the confidence will come.” The Eagles begin their campaign on Monday against fellow West Africans Burkina Faso in Nelspruit. Defending champions Zambia and Ethiopia are the other teams in Group C.