Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi believes the Mali players are being spurred on by the civil war in their country and it is driving the players towards success at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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The two west African nations meet in the first semifinal of the competition in Durban on Wednesday with the Super Eagles favourites after they ousted Ivory Coast in the previous round.
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But Keshi, a former coach of Mali, insists there is no such thing against a team that has had several of its players directly affected by the unrest in their homeland.
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'' It's a shame what's going on in Mali, a great country with wonderful people '', he said on Tuesday. '' It's a place i love. There's no doubt this group of players is thinking about that and that's where they're getting their power, motvation force and spirit from ''.
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The two-time champions have surprised many by reaching the last four in South Africa with their biggest showing yet coming when they stunned the Ivory Coast, the continent's No 1 ranked side, wth a 2-1 win on Sunday.
If Nigeria play against Mali the same way the played against Ivory Coast, they will definately come out victorious
Yes u are right. I did not even believe it was nigeria playing. I had to check again