Newcastle United attacker Shola Ameobi is confident Nigeria will defeat Ethiopia and qualify for the showpiece event in Fifa’s Football calender, the World Cup.

Nigeria manager Stephen Keshi is expected to start the game in Addis Ababa with an attacking trident comprising Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce), Victor Moses (Liverpool) and Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow).

And that means Ameobi, who clocked 32 on Saturday, will most likely be named on the substitutes bench.

“We are confident of winning. These days you’ve got to be confident going into games.

“We are the team in to beat in Africa. We are the African champions and everyone wants to topple us,”Shola Ameobi told chroniclelive.co.uk.

He acknowledged that the East Africans won’t be brushed aside easily and the unfavorable weather could play a role.

“This is a big test, but we have a squad that knows how to win. You can’t replace that.

“But we are taking nothing for granted. This will be a tough game, especially out there when we will play at altitude.”

Shola Ameobi will make his fifth international appearance for the African champions if he gets to play against Ethiopia.

Photo Credit: footballtop.com