By John Egbokhan
Ex-international, Paul Okoku has warned the Super Eagles to beware of the danger that Kenya’s Harambee Stars can cause to Nigeria’s 2014 World Cup qualification dream.

The Eagles host the Harambee Stars in a World Cup qualifying match on March 23 at the U.J Esuene, with a a home win taking the team nearer to the next round and speaking on what Nigerians can expect from the Kenyans, who did not qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations, which saw Nigeria emerge champions, Okoku said that the Eagles were an endangered species because of their feat in South Africa.

Speaking in a telephone interview from his base in the USA, Okoku said that Nigeria’s triumph at the tournament has put them in the eye of the storm, as other teams on the continent would be eager to defeat them in matches because of the attention such a result will attract in the international media

“Our victory at the Nations Cup in South Africa has put us in the eye of the storm. We are the team that others want to beat. Any team that beats Nigeria will command a great prominence in the world’s eyes. So, the stake are indeed now higher for us and we must be very careful with the way we approach and play the Kenyans.

“I see the Kenyans coming out for a win because they do not have anything to lose against the African champions. If they get a draw, it is a good result by any standard and that is why we must take them seriously and play them the way we played Ivory Coast and Mali at the Nations Cup.

“We must not let the momentum go down. The onus is on Keshi to ensure that his players continue from where they stopped in South Africa by creating and taking their chances against Kenya. The team must not think that they have arrived. They must recognise that they are only just starting and it takes a lot of hard work to remain at the top”, added Okoku.

Kenya, who lie at the bottom of Group F with only one pint picked from their barren home draw against Malawi last year need to beat Nigeria to reignite any hopes of progressing.

Harambee Stars equation was complicated further after they lost away to Namibia.

Nigeria top the group with four points from two games ahead of Namibia who have three. Malawi have two points.