30th August, 2011
Chief Coach of the Super Eagles is leaving nothing to chance to ensure that his players are fit and battle ready for the all-important Nations Cup qualifier against the Barea of Madagascar on Sunday.
The Eagles are currently camped in Abuja getting set to jet out to Antananarivo tomorrow aboard a chartered Air Nigeria airline.
 P.M.News gathered from Abuja early today that Siasia had told the players that they will train three times before leaving to Madagascar tomorrow.
According to the training scheduled, the Eagles left their hotel by 8:30a.m for the 9a.m training session at the Abuja National Stadium today. They trained for about two hours.
The evening session will also last for about two hours, while they will have their last training in Abuja tomorrow morning before leaving for Antananarivo.
Meanwhile, early Super Eagles’ arrival for Sunday’s game in Madagascar, Chelsea ace Mikel Obi has kept it cool to earn praise from national team coaches.
Mikel went through a most traumatic experience when his father was kidnapped for 10 days by a gang that demanded for a staggering ransom of $4 billion.
Mikel’s dad was rescued during a police raid in Kano and hosted a thanksgiving service at his church in Jos last Sunday.
Siasia lavished praise on the midfielder, who was previously alleged to shun national team duties.
“I am particularly happy that despite what happened to his father, the boy’s morale was not dampened. He was the first caller at our Transcop Hilton Hotel camp,†Siasia told MTNFootball.com.
“I am very happy with this because it shows that the players know the magnitude of the Madagascar match which we must win to brighten our qualification chances for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup.”
“It’s a thing of joy to see these players hitting camp on time,†added assistant coach Simon Kalika.
“As a coach you are happier if these early callers happen to be first-team players. It shows that everybody is aware of the importance of the match.â€
The players in camp by yesterday evening were Obinna Nsofor, Chinedu Obasi, Peter Utaka, Dele Adeleye, Mikel Obi, Emmanuel Emenike, Joel Obi, Victor Anichebe, Fengor Ogude and Ahmed Musa.
The entire backroom staff are in place save for assistant coach Salisu Yusuf, who travelled to Madagascar on Saturday with the Nigeria Football Federation advance party.
The team will fly out from Abuja on a special chartered flight for Antananarivo tomorrow afternoon.
By Taiwo Adelu