Chelsea great Mikel upbeat on Kenya's AFCON U-20 prospects despite poor show

Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel cannot wait to see the AFCON U20 Kenya and Nigeria fixture on Thursday, arguing that there's enough talent on display to make the encounter entertaining.

Mikel, who captained his national team during his playing days, has said the match pitting two sides at the ongoing continental showpiece will be tough but crucial to both teams.

Kenya's U20 team's hopes of reaching the knockout stages hang in the balance after falling 3-1 to Tunisia in their second Group B match at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

The Salim Babu-coached Rising Stars, who lost 3-2 to Morocco in the first match, will now need to win against the West African giants in their last Group B match on Wednesday to revive their hopes of qualifying for the quarterfinal as the third-best-placed side.

Mikel arrived in the country on Friday, May 2, to conduct some football clinics and inspire the next crop of footballers.

The tour, which has been dubbed 'Football Fiesta,' culminated with the former Nigerian international hosting a watch party at the Nairobi Club when his former club, Chelsea, hosted new Premier League champions Liverpool, where they beat them 3-1.

"It is going to be a great game; it is going to be a good game to watch.

"For us in Nigeria, we always want to do well; we always want to win AFCON whenever we play in the tournament, so I am sure it is the same for Kenya as well.

"It will be a great game, and may the best team win,” Mikel told Citizen Digital.

Nigeria boasts of four points after winning and drawing one match apiece. The West African country will qualify for the next round should they beat Kenya.

The two-time English Premier League-winning midfielder with Chelsea at the same time reiterated the need for the continued nurturing of talent across the continent.

“I hope we continue to develop African football because African football is massive, is huge; the nation, the continent is huge; people watch a lot of football, and it is football that unites us, it is football that keeps us together, it is what brings people together; when football is off, everything stops,” he said.

Mikel added that football is a serious business and career that tends to uplift somebody from nothing. 

“We need to eat and drink football, and that is what we do, and we enjoy As long as we continue to develop these young kids, trust me, I started like this, and nobody thought that one day I would be who I am.

"You can never take anything for granted, so these kids, one day, I hope to watch them on TV.”

The U-20 tournament is set to culminate on May 18 in Egypt, whereby four teams will qualify for the U-20 World Cup.