Head coach of the Nigerian national team, Stephen Keshi, has attempted to draw parallels between his current job and his time at the helm of the Mali national team.

Keshi coached Mali's Eagles between 2008 and 2010 and believes the pressure of holding the reins has not been matched since he took charge of the Nigerian national team.

"When people talk to me about pressure, I smile because the pressure (when I was coach of) Mali is probably worse than I experienced in Nigeria," Keshi told supersport.com.

The former Nigerian captain further explained that the "biggest pressure" he faces is to ensure players of the national team remain at the peak of their powers.

"I am doing my job. I don't think about pressure. If you want to excel, you must be ready to deal with pressure. The pressure is there but I try to shield my players from it.

"The biggest pressure I face is to see that my players are in good shape," he said.