At the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will begin their quest for a fourth African Cup of Nations championship against the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea today, Sunday.
The Nigerians were considered favorites along with the Ivorians, who defeated Guinea Bissau in the championship opener. However, a flurry of withdrawals from Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Boniface, and Sadiq Umar has hampered their preparations, and Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City is also doubtful for today’s game.
Things are not getting any better on the pitch. The manager Jose Peseiro’s tactical acumen has come under scrutiny following the team’s loss against the Syli Nationale of Guinea in the practice match.
Concerns regarding the squad’s imbalance also existed. Nevertheless, Peseiro swiftly refuted this during the Saturday pre-game press conference.
“I have faith in all of my players, from the goalie to the striker. Every squad occasionally has a stronger player at a certain position. All national teams experience that, Peseiro said to reporters in Abidjan.
The management further stated that Iheanacho and late addition Paul Onuachu had just arrived in Ivory Coast, and that Terem Moffi, who is set to replace the injured Boniface, will not be there in time for Sunday.
Therefore, it is anticipated that Victor Osimhen, the newly named African Best Player and top scorer in qualification with 10 goals, will provide the lion’s share of the Super Eagles’ offensive output.
The greatest strikers in Africa, including Moffi, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Ademola Lookman, are still at Peseiro’s disposal despite the withdrawals.
Equatorial Guinea, the Super Eagles’ opponents and losers of their last two meetings, is motivated ahead of Sunday’s match by their remarkable track record of making it to the round of eight every time they compete at the continental championship.
With 11 wins in a row in both competitive and non-competitive settings—including shutout triumphs in World Cup qualifying matches against Namibia and Liberia—Juan Micha’s team is in excellent form heading into Cote d’Ivoire.
The arrival of Emilio Nsue, a striker who is crucial to Equatorial Guinea’s chances of winning the AFCON 2021, also gives them hope.
Even if playing the Nigerians is unlikely to be successful, manager Micha thinks they can injure their opponents
It is our goal to win this tournament; it is our dream. We want to give it our all and we know what to do.
Nigeria is one of the favorites in our difficult match tomorrow, but we have readyed ourselves to play at the best possible level.
“They have substitutes for the players that are missing, and we know that Nigeria has potential, just as we do. At a press conference on Saturday, he stated, “We are ready for the game.
At 3:00 pm, the game begins.
10 Facts and figures about the game
Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea will play each other in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. In their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying encounter, Nigeria defeated them both 1-0 and 2-0.
Nigeria are making their 20th appearance in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They have advanced to the semifinals in 14 of their previous 17 AFCON contests, and they have won the competition three times (1980, 1994, and 2013).
The previous time the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was contested in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria fell to Cameroon 3-1 as the beaten finalists.
In the last 15 games at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria has won 12 of them (L3). Their most recent draw was against Zambia in the 2013 group stages (1-1).
Nigeria has the greatest goal total of all 24 teams competing in this year’s tournament, scoring 22 goals in six games to qualify for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Victor Osimhen scored 10 of those goals, which is twice as many as any other player (4 players on 5 goals).
Equatorial Guinea has participated in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations four times; however this is only the second time they have qualified without serving as hosts.
They have never failed to go past the quarterfinals, having finished fourth in 2015 and quarterfinalist in both 2012 and 2021.
At the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea has never scored more than two goals in any of their previous 15 games.
Equatorial Guinea has only scored two goals in the first half of games at the AFCON.
Throughout the qualifying campaign, Victor Osimhen had a direct hand in five of Nigeria’s goals (10 goals, 2 assists). This is the most goals scored in an AFCON qualification round since Moumouni Dagano’s Burkina Faso squad in 2010 (12 goals).
More than any other side, Nigeria had 10 different goal scorers in their qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, even though Victor Osimhen scored 10 of their 22 goals.
