The Africa Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast will see West Africa giants clash on the last day of the tournament. Sunday will see the conclusion of the month-long Africa Cup of Nations at Abidjan’s Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, and the match will be live on KBC channel One.
Ivory Coast, the event’s hosts, are still in the hunt for success notwithstanding an organisational shift in the middle of the competition; Nigeria, however, will be looking to ruin the fun this coming weekend.
With their newest victory in 2013, the Super Eagles have won three AFCON championships. In 2015, the Elephants won their second title. Who among them will be the fortunate winner of an additional medal?
After a 1-1 tie after regulation and overtime, Nigeria advanced to the final by defeating South Africa in a penalty shootout.
After a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, Jose Peseiro’s squad won their second group match 1-0 against Ivory Coast, continuing a run of four straight clean sheets.
The Super Eagles’ tactical tenacity has been on full display in their six AFCON matches, as they have only allowed two goals in those five games.
From a broader perspective, Nigeria has won 13 of its last 14 matches in all competitions, so they should be sure of a victory on Sunday.
On the other hand, Sebastien Haller of Borussia Dortmund scored the winning goal in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 triumph against DR Congo on Wednesday, ensuring the country’s spot in the final.
The Elephants fired manager Jean-Louis Gasset and appointed Emerse Fae as caretaker manager after they lost two of their three group games while allowing five goals.
Still, the home team made it to the quarterfinals after a sluggish start, and they advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Senegal and Mali, the reigning champions.
The inconsistent Ivory Coast defence has let in an average of 1.2 goals per game in the AFCON, despite the fact that they score an average of one goal per game overall.
On teams head-to-head, the Super Eagles have an advantage. After Nigeria’s 1-0 win in the group stage, there has been a three-win streak for each team in their last six encounters in all tournaments.
There have been a total of 28 head-to-head matches between the two countries, with nine victories each.
Team news: In six AFCON matches, Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has scored three goals and added an assist, while star striker Victor Osimhen has scored one goal and set up three more.
The hosts’ Seko Fofana and Franck Kessie will most likely start in the middle of the pitch for the final since they have both scored once and assisted on another.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast have a very equal head-to-head record, so Sunday’s final seems like it will be a nail-biter.