SEKONDI - Nigeria will face Mali on Friday knowing that three points are a must if they are to keep alive their hopes of reaching the last eight of the African Nations Cup.
Berti Vogts' team lost out to Ivory Coast in their opening match on Monday thanks to some sloppy defending, and the pressure is on the coach to deliver in a game that could decide the outcome of Group B.
The German boss has come in for criticism from many Nigeria fans and failure to gain all three points could cost him his job.
Vogts himself admits the stakes are high, saying: "Pressure? Of course there is pressure. We will have to play much better football against Mali.
"(Against Ivory Coast), we lost against the best team in Africa. But we will be back."
Ivorian striker Didier Drogba agrees with Vogts and has warned Mali of a possible backlash.
He said: "Nigeria and Ivory Coast are strong. We punished the Super Eagles for their errors.
"They are a good side. The way they played and passed the ball was unique. They can still qualify from this group."
The one positive for Vogts is that he has no injuries to contend with after news that Kanu will be fit in time for the game.
Mali coach Jean-Francois Jodar is also aware of the importance of the game if his side, who beat Benin 1-0 in their opener, are to have any chance of progression.
"Playing against Nigeria is going to be a tough test," he said. "We were a bit stressed (against Benin) but that is normal in the first game of the competition.
"Nigeria are a dangerous team. They are (wounded) after the loss to the Elephants, but I want to assure you that the match will be tight between two teams who want to win," added Jodar, who also has no injuries to report.
