Mali Buoyed By Situation At Home - Keshi

This millennium, Nigeria has played Mali four times at the African Cup of Nations. Two times the Eagles were victorious while the remaining two matches ended in draws.

Ahead of tomorrow's meeting between Nigeria and Mali, coach Stephen Keshi knows that the opponents are well motivated and has predicted a difficult match.

''Mali is a footballing nation with great talent, I saw it in my two years there. I have a lot of respect for them and a lot of admiration for the Mali team and the players.

''What is happening in this country is very sad. You can not be proud of it. I know their players think about the situation at home, from where they derive their power. They say, 'Let's do it for the country' . We'll stop them,'' Keshi told reporters.

Kick off for the game at the 54,000 capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban is 16:00 hours.