Obi to play against meteors

Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi is on the shopping list of Dream Team coach Samson Siasia for the crucial Olympic engagement with the Black Meteors of Ghana.

Even though the Chelsea midfielder is expected to feature against Uganda in an african cup qualifier on june 2,Siasia might still need him for the dream team.

The Olympic team will clash with Ghana in Abuja on June 3 a day after the Super Eagles have engaged the Cranes of Uganda in a crucial Ghana 2008 fixture in Kampala.

"I think the presence of Mikel Obi would boost the chances of The Dream Team against Ghana"He said.

Meanwhile the senior national team coach Berti Vogts, who returned to Nigeria last week, listed Mikel Obi among the 29 players invited for a training camp in Kenya as part of his plans for the Ugandan match.

Mikel Obi was one of the stalwarts of Siasia at the last World Youth Championship in Holland where Nigeria only lost to Argentina in the final. He was voted the second best player of the tournament after Lionel Messi of Argentina.

Nigeria's U-23 team has assembled in Abuja with a handful of home-based players in readiness for the visit of the Black Meteors.

But Siasia, whose side largely expected to be dominated by Europe-based players, will not want to take chances considering it was Ghana that eliminated Nigeria from securing a ticket to the All Africa Games which will be held in Algiers in July.

Ghana picked the Zone 3 ticket at the expense of Nigeria on the strength of the away goal rule having held the Nigerians goalless in Sunyani.

Nigeria is in the same group with Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia. The winner of the group will pick one of the Olympic slots for Africa.