Nigeria will be looking to stamp their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations 2024 knockout stages when they face a Guinea-Bissau team who are already eliminated at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium on Monday (January 22).
The Super Eagles have already confirmed a top-three spot in Group A, but need a big win to have a chance of topping their group and finding a comfortable path in the knockout stages. For Guinea-Bissau, however, this match is only for pride as they aim to end a disappointing AFCON campaign on a high.
Previous Fixtures
Nigeria have had a shaky start to the Africa Cup of Nations so far, only scoring two goals in as many games but picking up four points all the same. They are coming into this game after a hard-fought 1-0 win over hosts Ivory Coast. But the Super Eagles haven’t been the most convincing team over the last few months, having only won one of their last five matches across all competitions.
Guinea-Bissau have tried hard to get something out of a tough group in the AFCON, but came out empty-handed in both games so far – suffering heavy losses to Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea. Like Nigeria, they have also only won one of their last five games – suffering three losses in the period.
Incidentally, Nigeria have faced Guinea-Bissau only three times in their history. All three matches have taken place in the span of just over two years – with the Super Eagles winning twice. Guinea-Bissau did, however, defeat them in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last year and will aim to do the same this time around.
Team News
Guinea-Bissau are expected to have a fully fit squad available for their final game of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, as they aim to cause an upset over the major African side.
Guinea-Bissau Predicted XI: Ouparine Djoco, Jefferson Encada, Marcelo Djalo, Sori Mane, Fali Candé, Janio Bikel, Alfa Semedo, Moreto Cassamá, Carlos Mane, Mauro Rodrigues, Ze Turbo
Nigeria could welcome back striker Kelechi Iheanacho for this one, after the Leicester City man missed the first two games due to an injury. However, Jose Peserio’s side could be without midfielder Alhassan Yusuf and defender William Troost-Ekong in this game.
Nigeria Predicted XI: Stanley Nwabili, Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Ajayi, Zaidu Sanusi, Frank Onyeka, Joe Aribo, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen
Where the game could be decided
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This will definitely be a case of attack vs defence as Nigeria look to get a big win to improve their chances of finish atop of their group. The Super Eagles will definitely take a more attack-minded approach to this than they did against the Ivory Coast and will be encouraged by Guinea-Bissau’s struggles in the tournament.
This clash should be majorly played in the Guinea-Bissau half, but Nigeria will need to be at their clinical best to break their opponents. They need to be innovative with their attacking moves, pour more bodies forward and be smart in getting the ball to Victor Osimhen in the box.
The Napoli striker will play a key role in determining the result. He needs to get into the right places in the final third and be decisive with his finishing to guide his side to a big win. But if Nigeria are complacent and wasteful, Guinea-Bissau won’t shy away from hitting them with fast counter-attacks and cause chaos in the transitions.
Betting Predictions
In terms of the result, it’s logical to gamble on a win for Nigeria knowing the history between these two teams. The Super Eagles have normally gotten the better of Guinea-Bissau and have a much stronger side too. However, with recent trends showing how Nigeria have failed to score more than one goal in their last five games – it’d be smart to bet on this clash to have under 2.5 goals.
The Super Eagles have also maintained a pretty mean defensive record in the Africa Cup of Nations, only conceding one goal from two games. They face a side that has failed to score in six of their last 10 home games (they are technically the home side here), so betting on Nigeria getting a clean sheet could be a clever one.
Victor Osimhen will have the spotlight firmly on him for this match. He has had a pretty good competition so far, with one goal in two games and playing a key role in the win over the Ivory Coast too. Knowing his impressive form, it’d be logical to bet on him getting a goal against a Guinea-Bissau side that has already shipped six goals in two matches.
Another interesting gamble around Osimhen is regarding how involved he can be in this match. The Napoli star has averaged over four shot attempts in the AFCON so far and looked to get very active in testing the goalkeepers. He should have plenty of chances to get away with shot attempts in this, so betting on Osimhen getting at least two shots on target can be smart.
This game could get cramped up because of the predicted ‘attack vs defence’ nature and Nigeria will keep piling attacks to break their opponents. Both teams can be decent from set-pieces and have players who can cause trouble from corners. Nigeria have averaged over 4.5 corners awarded in their last six games, while Guinea-Bissau average over 3.5 in the same period. So to bet on this game having seven corners or more can be a cheeky gamble.
Interestingly, neither Guinea-Bissau nor Nigeria have actually been the most aggressive of sides in the AFCON so far. The former has averaged 0.5 yellow cards per game, with the Super Eagles averaging just one booking. As a result, it can be logical to bet for this match to have fewer than three yellow cards knowing the playing patterns of both teams.
