The Super Eagles will lock horns with hosts Elephants of Cote D'ivoire in match day two, Group A at the ongoing AFCON tournament. Peseiro’s men will be gunning for their first victory of the competition following a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening fixture. In that match, the Super Eagles failed to replicate their performance in 2019 and 2021 when they beat Burundi and Egypt respectively in their opening group games.
In the tie against Equatorial Guinea, the 3 time African Champions conceded first, courtesy a 36th minute strike by Salvador. However, in the 38th minute, Nigeria’s star boy and current African footballer of the year, Victor Osimhen, brought the game back on level terms, scoring a header to secure a point for the Eagles.
In this match against the hosts, Nigeria will be looking to get a favourable result to boost their chances of making the knockout phase of the competition.
For the Ivorians, they face the Super Eagles on the back of a 2-0 win against Guinea Bissau in their opening fixture. Here, the hosts would be looking to make it 2 wins in 2 and stay at the summit of Group A with a slot in the next phase of the tournament. An assessment of their first match would suggest Ivory Coast are more organised than Nigeria especially seeing how the Eagles squandered loads of chances and could not keep a clean sheet against a relatively inexperienced side at the AFCON. Based on their huge home support and Nigeria’s profligacy in front of goal, the Ivorians will be feeling very much confident here.
Nigeria Team News
In the tie against Equatorial Guinea, Peseiro made some changes to the starting 11. He dropped Uzoho and favoured Ekong in the centre back pairings.
The Super Eagles had big injury blows heading into this competition. Victor Boniface got injured and was replaced by Terem Moffi. Wilfred Ndidi was replaced by Al Hassan Yusuf while Paul Onuachu replaced Sadiq Umar. It will be recalled that Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi had pulled out of the tournament due to injury, adding to the long list of absentees on Peseiro’s list. As things stand, the Eagles must create more chances for Osimhen and sort out their goal keeping problems before facing Ivory Coast on Thursday.
Possible Line Up
Nwabali, Aina, Ekong, Ajayi, Sanusi, Onyeka, Simon, Yusuf, Iwobi, Lookman, Osimhen
Ivory Coast Team News
The hosts got off to a good start in their opening tie, fending off Guinea Bissau in a 2-0 victory. Fofana’s 4th minute goal and Krasso’s 58th minute strike were enough to secure the first 3 points for the Ivorians who are looking to earn their third AFCON title having won it in 1992 and 2015. We expect the gaffer to go in with the same starting eleven here as Ivory Coast look to seal another 3 points.
Possible Line Up
Fofana, Singo, Diomande, Ndicka, Konan, Kessie, Sangare, Fofana, Boga, Krasso, Bamba
Ivory Coast Vs Nigeria Predictions
The AFCON 2024 tournament is already in full swing and we expect the thrills to continue as we head into the second round of group phase matches. Certainly, Ivory Coast Vs Nigeria is one game to anticipate given the quality both sides boast of and the ambition of both teams in this competition. Nigeria are looking to better their performance at the last edition and possibly go all the way to secure a fourth continental trophy. On the other hand, Ivory Coast wants to taste the continental glory for the first time in 9 years, having last won it in 2015. Getting a win over Nigeria would be a huge morale booster for them and put them in pole position to finish as Group A winners.
Betting tip: Both Teams To Score
Both sides have a lot to play for in this tie considering how competitive the tournament tends to get in the second round of group games. A good result for Nigeria puts them in good position for a place in the next round while Ivory Coast will remain top with victory here. Given the desire for victory by both teams, what is at stake here and their goal scoring prowess, we are going with both teams to score for our Ivory Coast Vs Nigeria betting prediction.
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