AFCON 2023: Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :January 12, 2024 at 2:12 PM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 11:41 AM

The Super Eagles will be looking to kickstart AFCON with a statement win

The Nigeria national football team are one of the strong contenders in this Ivory Coast edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. José Peseiro’s side last played a friendly game against Guinea which they lost 2-0. However, an injury to Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar was the bigger blow.

Equatorial Guinea are in the same Group A alongside Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and the host nation Ivory Coast. The Los Elefantes had a Tuesday friendly encounter with Djibouti in preparations for the 2023 AFCON games. The game ended 1-1 and now Juan Micha’s men are expected to turn heads as they gear up for matchday 1 fixture against Super Eagles.

Kick-Off:

Sunday, 14 January 2024 at 2:00 PM UK (7:30 PM IST)

Location: Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé

Form

Nigeria (in all competitions): L-D-D-W-D

Equatorial Guinea (in all competitions): D-W-W-D-D

Players to Watch

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)

The 25-year-old Napoli forward will be the main star of the Nigeria camp. In 13 Serie A games this season, Victor Osimhen has 7 goals and 2 assists. Also after playing 27 competitive games for his country, Osimhen has netted 20 goals. Last friendly game the forward started on the bench however head coach will rely on his goal-scoring prowess from the very start on Sunday.

Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)

For the National Thunder, captain Emilio Nsue is expected to headline the attack for his nation. In 37 appearances for the national team, Nsue has found the back of the net a total of 15 times. At the club level, the 34-year-old player plays for CF Intercity which is currently in the third tier of Spanish football divisions.

Match Facts

Even though Nigeria are a strong side, they are on a run of 3 winless games (friendly included)
Equatorial Guinea are undefeated in the last 10 games in all competitions (friendly included)
In each of the last three meetings, the Super Eagles have come out on top

Injury & Team News

Sadiq Umar’s injury came at the wrong time as previously another forward, Victor Boniface, was ruled out due to an abductor injury. In the friendly game against Guinea, star forward Victor Osimhen was left on the bench. Head coach José Peseiro is likely to give him the start here.

Juan Micha’s side have no injury concerns at the moment. After a 1-1 friendly draw, they will be raring to go on the front foot in this one.

Head to Head

Total Matches – 3

Nigeria wins – 3

Equatorial Guinea wins – 0

Draws – 0

Predicted Lineup

Nigeria predicted lineup (4-4-2):

Uzoho (GK); Osayi-Samuel, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Chukwueze, Aribo, Iwobi, Simon; Iheanacho, Osimhen

Equatorial Guinea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Owono (GK); Akapo, Orozco Fernandez, Coco, Ndong; Ganet, Bikoro; Miranda, Machín, Salvador; Nsue

Match Prediction for Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea

Going by the last previous meetings, Nigeria have always come out on top. Even though they will be dearly missing the attacking threats of Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar, they still have striker Osimhen ready to fire goals. The Super Eagles side’s form has been a bit turbulent of late but this matchday 1 fixture is the right time to recover.

Prediction: Nigeria 2-0 Equatorial Guinea

Telecast for Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea

India – FanCode

UK – Sky Sports

US – beIN Sports

Nigeria – NTA

AFCON 2023 Worldwide Broadcast Details: Click here

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