While Cote d’Ivoire’s Elephants sit comfortably on top of the group A with three points garnered from the 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau in the opening match of the AFCON 2023 tournament on home soil, Nigeria’s Eagles are placed third with just one point following 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.
Consequently, to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stage in Cote d’Ivoire, Jose Peseiro-led squad must avoid defeat in today’s game
The match is expected to be tightly contested, reflecting both teams’ recent forms and historical rivalry. A look at results of matches between the two countries, indicates that the Eagles stand a chance to achieve the target of securing a point or probably grab all the three points at stake this evening.
The last contest between the two teams was at the quarterfinal of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa which ended 2-1 in favour of Nigeria. Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Mba scored for Nigeria and the Eagles went on to win their third AFCON title.
The Elephants will be without Sebastien Haller due to an ankle injury, while Nigeria will rely heavily on Victor Osimhen, a key striker who has shown his goal-scoring abilities in Serie A.
Speaking at the pre-match conference, Peseiro emphasised the need for his team to convert their chances, saying the second match against hosts Cote d’Ivoire is crucial.
He rued the missed chances against Equatorial Guinea in their opening match, assuring a more composed outing against the Ivorians.
“Our team created a lot of chances in our last game, but we scored only one goal.
“If you want to win the AFCON, you must be ready to face tough oppositions. So, we are ready, Cote d’Ivoire is a good team and one of the favourites.
“If we create the same opportunities and take our chances, then we have a better chance of winning against Cote d’Ivoire,” he said.
Peseiro, however, disclosed that Alhassan Yusuf, who impressed against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday will not be available for the clash due to injury. “Yusuf is out of the game tomorrow. He is fine but not ready for tomorrow’s match. He will be ready for the last group match.”
He stated further: “We have what it takes to win the game tomorrow and there’s nothing to change in my team because we created a lot of goalscoring opportunities in our game against Equatorial Guinea and we hope to utilise the opportunities this time and score goals.”
Meanwhile, Cote d’Ivoire captain, Max Alain Gradel, said they are determined to make the Ivorians proud and they are not scared of Nigeria or any opponent.
Gradel, who has 105 caps for his country and was part of the Elephants’s squad that won the trophy in Equatorial Guinea in 2015, said: “We are Côte d’Ivoire. We respect all our opponents. But we fear nobody. We will do what we have to do.
“It is a special moment for us to play AFCON in our home, with the support of our people. We will do everything to make the people proud. ”
“We have super players in the squad, especially for what they bring to the group. It is a decisive match; it is an important match. We know what we have to do.”
Coach Jean-Louis Gasset said: “We are relieved; the pressure was so strong. We had seven players who started the match against Guinea Bissau, who were playing in their first AFCON. Not everything went well, but we are relieved. All the matches we have seen have a different scenario. In Nigeria’s match, they had one or two opportunities against Equatorial Guinea. If you don’t make your superiority count, the opponent will become confident. There are no more small teams.”
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