Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi has stressed the need for the current squad to be at their best in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Super Eagles are set to navigate through a challenging Group C in the AFCON, where they will face formidable opponents including hosts Cote d’Ivoire, as well as Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Mikel however acknowledges the evolution of the tournament, highlighting that the younger present Super Eagles team plays a distinct brand of football compared to his generation.

He underlined the importance of adaptability and peak performance for success in the modern African football landscape.

“There is a lot of difference, isn’t it? Football has changed from ten years ago and dogmatically, it has really changed. I think this group of players now are a very young team,” Mikel told CAF’s Media.

“They play a totally different brand of football, so let’s hope we can really see good performance by us, the Nigerian team.”

Mikel played a significant role as Nigeria won the title in 2013.