Bartholomew Ibenegbu (R) playing for the SuperSand Eagles
Bartholomew Ibenegbu has declared his readiness to confront the Brazilians at the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in Dubai, UAE this month.
Ibenegbu, nicknamed Mosquito by his fans, believes that having Nigeria's Supersand Eagles drawn in Group B of the competition alongside four-time world champions, Brazil, Japan and Switzerland pit them in a "tough" pool, reports Supersport.com.
"It's a tough group when you look at the teams drawn with us. Yes we've played Brazil three times or so and we succeeded in defeating them last year in Lagos during the Copa Lagos after coming close to doing so at the last World Cup. But they still remain a formidable force in beach soccer whether we like it or not.
"As for Switzerland and Japan, they are emerging forces and we cannot afford to overrate ourselves when we face them. I know the game has grown strongly in Switzerland and it is same for Japan. So we expect a tough outing in Dubai," Ibenegbu told supersport.com.
The Heartland midfielder recovered from typhoid fever this week and joined up with Adamu Audu Ejor's squad in their Badagry camp on Thursday.
"I feel a lot better now after my illness. I just need a few days to train with the team and I will gradually regain my fitness level," he said.
The Eight-Nation Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in Dubai is expected to hold between October 30 and November 3.
Four other nations, UAE, Tahiti, the USA and world champions, Russia, are in Group A of the tournament.