Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback is confident the Super Eagles will finally show their worth in the crucial Group B showdown against South Korea.

The African side goes into the encounter in Durban on the back of two straight defeats in their opening World Cup matches.

"I am very positive about our game," said Lagerback. "Let's hope we can show that an African team can play well and get a result."

Lagerback expects a battle from start to finish against the 2002 semi-finalists, who beat Greece before losing 4-1 to Argentina.

"It's going to be difficult," he said. "But this is a World Cup and every game is tough.

"I nevertheless believe we can win. I think the team has the right attitude. We have a really good team and I hope we can show it to the world."

Despite losses to Greece and Argentina, Lagerback's men can still qualify for the last 16 provided they beat South Korea and the South Americans take three points from Greece.

"We hope Argentina will help us along the way," he said. "But we have to concentrate on our game and get a result. As a coach, nothing is impossible and Greece could beat Argentina but really I expect Argentina to win that game."

Should Nigeria fail, Lagerback has neither confirmed nor denied if this would be his last game in charge of the Super Eagles.

"Every coach always prepares to stay longer in a tournament," he said.

"We haven't discussed that between me and the federation. We will see after the World Cup."

Lagerback has not ruled out making changes to the side that lost 2-1 against Greece.

Nigeria captain Kanu could be given playing time having sat out their opening two matches.

"I could make changes," he said. "Everybody in the team wants to play this game. Kanu is in the picture and it's quite possible he could play."

The former Sweden coach said the team has not been affected by the death threats received by Sani Kaita after he was sent off in the 2-1 defeat to Greece.

"It's not a good thing," he said. "I think it's very sad that this situation comes out.

"But it's something that we have to handle and I think the players have handled it really well.

"I was also happy to see how the players supported Kaita in the team's meeting."

The 61-year-old is confident left-back Taye Taiwo and Uwa Echiejile will feature in the match after both players sustained minor injuries against Greece.

South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo is confident his side can reach the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time on foreign soil.

The Taegeuk Warriors are second in Group B alongside Greece on three points and know that victory over Nigeria would secure a place in the next round provided Greece fail to beat group leaders Argentina in the other pool game.

"We are going to keep an eye on the other match," said Jung-moo. "But the important thing is for us to play a good game and get a good result.

"Our players up until now have been preparing for the round of 16. We are almost there.

"We have been preparing for this for almost a year. This is the last match before we reach our goal and we are really going to fight hard in order to achieve this."

South Korea began their campaign with an impressive 2-0 win over Greece, but lost 4-1 to a rampant Argentina on Thursday.

Jung-moo believes his side have not been affected by that heavy loss.

"We are simply looking forward to progressing to the round of 16," he said. "We left behind us the game against Argentina and our only focus is on beating Nigeria.

"My players are confident and are ready to play this important game. I believe in my players and I think we can do a good job. We have 23 players that have potential and we have a strong idea as to what we as a team have to do to come out triumphant."

Jung-moo has not ruled out making tactical alterations for the game and said: "We have a different strategy for each match. Perhaps we were a little bit defensive when playing against Argentina.

"But I don't want my players to focus on just attacking against Nigeria. I want my team to play a balanced game in order to win."

Jung-moo could give veteran forward Ahn Jung Hwan some playing time against Nigeria.

Ahn, who made a name for himself after scoring the golden goal to eliminate Italy from the last 16 at the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, has not featured in his team's first two games in South Africa.