Country: Nigeria

Fixtures:

Vs Croatia, June 17 at 00:30 AM (IST), Kaliningrad

Vs Iceland, June 22 at 20:30 PM (IST), Volgograd

Vs Argentina, June 26 at 23:30 PM (IST), St Petersburg

FIFA ranking: 48

Previous World Cup: 2014

Last appearance: 2014 (eliminated from the round of 16)

Best finish: Round of 16 in 1994, 1998 and 2014.

Coach: Gernot Rohr

Nigeria are the first team from Africa to reach Russia, and the Super Eagles continue an impressive run of appearances at the finals, having missed only one tournament - Germany 2006 - since qualifying for their debut in 1994.

The Super Eagles, unlike rest of the African teams, booked their ticket to Russia without getting mired into controversies.

Coach Rohr's side put up a united show to become the first team from the continent to seal a spot in the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet. Nigeria are making their sixth appearance in the FIFA World Cup after getting the better of strong teams like Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia in the qualifiers.

The squad boasts of a good blend of a talented bunch of players and some seasoned campaigners in their flank but lack of form could be a concern for them.

Can Super Eagles live up to fans' expectations?

Nigeria's historic win over Argentina in the last year's international friendly made them overnight heroes and many even saw them making it to the semi-final in Russia. But the Super Eagles were given a reality check almost immediately after suffering back-to-back defeats against Serbia and England.

The cracks were exposed and coach Rohr had some time to help the side get back into the grooves. Consistency remains a problem for them as the Nigerians have looked out of sorts for they have lost three of their last four warm-up games and drawing the other.

The team has a few inexperienced players, but talented, in their final squad as well, who will only get better with the time and exposure. Nigeria turned in a disappointing performance in their final tune-up, losing 1-0 to the Czech Republic who failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Prior to that, they suffered a defeat at the hands of England (2-1). However, coach Rohr has assured the fans that the Super Eagles will deliver a positive show in their opening game against Croatia.

31-year-old John Obi Mikel is going to be the most sought-after players and crucial to Nigeria's success. The midfielder who has played for Chelsea for a decade is currently playing for Chinese club Tianjin TEDA.

Victor Moses, the Chelsea winger, will be deployed as flying left-winger by coach Rohr and the team would depend upon his skills and Premier League experience to breach the opposition defence and create opportunities for the strikers.

Alex Iwobi is another bright prospect and a player to watch out for. Having snapped by the country of his birth from England in 2015, Iwobi - who plays for Arsenal, has been one of the most promising youngsters for the team. His goals against Argentina and England in the previous international friendlies are a testimony to his skills and talent.

Kelechi Iheanacho is another promising star in the squad. The 22-year-old forward from Leicester City has already scored 8 goals from 18 games for the senior national side.

The coach will hope the team learn from the mistakes in the warm-up games and make necessary adjustments ahead of the opening game.

Goalkeeping, recent form is going to be a concern

The retirement of Vincent Enyeama and Carl Ikeme's leukaemia diagnosis is the only matter of worry for coach Rohr. Francis Uzoho, the 19-year-old who has played just two senior appearances for his club Deportivo La Coruna, will be asked to do the job in Russia.

Prediction: Nigeria will face tough competition from Croatia (ranked 20) and Iceland (ranked 22) and winning these two games will secure them a place into the round of 16 but it's going to be a mammoth task for them for they'll face Argentina and Lionel Messi in their last league match.

Team-by-team analysis

Group-by-group analysis: