Football - Ahead of next week's resumption of play in the qualifying series for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has assured that the country will win the ticket to the finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, despite its precarious standing in group B.

Nigeria is second in group B of the qualifiers with seven points, behind group leader Guinea on 10. Ethiopia has four points and Madagascar 1.

Only the group winners and a few best runners-up will qualify for the finals.

'We met on Friday to plan a strategy that will give us a positive outcome,' NFF President Aminu Maigari told journalists in the capital city of Abuja Sunday, apparently aware of the apprehension among Nigerian football fans.

Nigeria is billed to take on Madagascar 4 Sept in Antananarivo before its last match against Guinea.

Pana 22/08/2011