We’re ready for Eagles –Antelopes

Ethiopia coach Bishaw Sewnet and midfielder
Menyahil Teshome insist the team are ready to
face the Super Eagles, tipping the Walya
Antelopes to seal their place at next year’s
World Cup at Nigeria’s expense.
The North-East African country, who are
ranked 93 in the latest FIFA rankings, host
Nigeria, who occupy the 36 position on the
rankings, in the first leg 2014 World Cup
qualifying playoff in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
The return match will take place in Calabar
on November 16. The aggregate winners
qualify for next year’s finals in Brazil.
African champions Nigeria are favourites to
win the two-legged playoff and qualify for
Brazil 2014, but Sewnet and Teshome
maintain that the Walya Antelopes have the
quality to pull off one of the greatest upsets
in African football by beating the Eagles to
play at the World Cup.
He warned the Eagles not to underestimate
the Walya Antelopes, saying the team they
beat 2-0 at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in
South Africa had learned some lessons from
the defeat.
“If you look seriously at that match, Nigeria
were not a better team than us. Up to the
(end) we were performing good. But in the
last 10 minutes they used their experience, so
they got two penalties,” Sewnet was quoted by
AFP as saying on Monday.
Teshome said, “I think we will have a better
game in the coming match against Nigeria.”
We are ready for this match, we are very
ready. We learned a lesson from the mistakes
we made last time.Our strength is our team
spirit.
“We have nothing to fear. Until now, we’ve
been supported by our people.”
Sewnet said the team had trained very hard
for the encounter and deserved to pick up
three points.
“I don’t know Brazil, so I want to see it,” he
said.
“We have tried to prepare them (team)
physically as well as mentally in the first week
and now we are doing our tactical work and
we will continue in the coming few days to
combine the two.
“We have a huge task ahead of us and as you
know the entire country is expectant of good
results and we cannot afford to let them
down at this important time.”
Meanwhile, Sudan-based Addis Hintsa, Libya-
based Shemeles Bekele and Israel-based Asrat
Mergasa trained with the team at the Addis
Ababa National Stadium venue for the game
on Monday.