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The Super Eagles will take on hosts, Ivory Coast in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Sunday night.
Jose Peseiro’s men will be aiming to end the competition on a high and with their fourth Nations Cup trophy at the end of the match on Sunday night.
Nigeria started their campaign in Ivory Coast with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea and they have turned the corner since then. Jose Peseiro made a masterstroke decision to change the team’s formation from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 which has made the team solid defensively and also provides balance for the team as a whole.
They have gone on to keep clean sheets against Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon and Angola before finally conceding in the 90th minute against South Africa.
The formation allows the use of three central defenders and, ahead of them, a double pivot in central midfield. Two wing-backs provide attacking width, while a front line of three can line up in several different ways.
This has worked perfectly for the Super Eagles with the likes of William Troost-Ekong, Femi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey occupying the central defensive roles, while Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi do their jobs from the wing-back positions.
Ola Aina, particularly has excelled in his position as a right wing-back, nullifying the threats of the opposition and also providing the attacking impetus to support the likes of Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
Ivory Coast on the other hand, have enjoyed a topsy-turvy journey in the competition, being on the verge of crashing out in the group stage and making it to the final of the competition is a remarkable story for ages to come.
The Elephants managed to qualify for the round of 16 as one of the best losers after sacking their head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset for poor first round showing, and since then they have been marching on with the support of their supporters.
Assistant coach Emerse Fae took charge of the team and he has done a remarkable job of getting them to the final when all hope was lost.
Their first casualty was the defending champions of the competition, Senegal in the second round, Ivory Coast made their trophy intentions clear by defeating the Teranga Lions 5-4 via penalty shootout after the regulation and extra time ended 1-1.
Nigeria will be going for their fourth Nations Cup trophy while Ivory Coast will be aiming for their third triumph in the competition, having tasted glory in 1992 and 2015.
The Super Eagles have ruled Africa thrice, first in 1980 and then in 1994 before the late Stephen Keshi led the team to their last triumph in 2013.
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast Head-to-Head
Nigeria and Ivory Coast have met eight times in the competition, with the Super Eagles winning three and the hosts winning two, while two encounters have ended in draws.
The last meeting between both sides was in the group stages when William Troost-Ekong’s goal was enough to hand Nigeria the maximum points.
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast Nations Cup Form Guide
Nigeria: D-W-W-W-W-W
Ivory Coast: W-L-L-W-W-W
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast Team News
Jose Peseiro will be hoping the extra time against South Africa will not have toll on the players, the only injury worry for Nigeria is Zaidu Sanusi, who missed the semi-finals against South Africa.
Sergi Aurier is expected to return from suspension for Ivory Coast and should take his place in the right-back position.
No injury worries for the hosts as Sebastian Haller, Nicolas Pepe and Simon Adingra are expected to lead the attack on Sunday.
Nigeria possible starting lineup: Nwabali; Ajayi, Troost-Ekong, Bassey; Osayi-Samuel, Onyeka, Iwobi, Aina; Simon, Lookman; Osimhen
Ivory Coast possible starting lineup: Fofana; Aurier, Boly, Ndicka, Konan; Kessie, Seri, Fofana; Pepe, Haller, Adingra
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast Pre-match Facts and Figures
Ivory Coast are the first host nation to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final since Egypt in 2006, who won the trophy that year on penalties against the Elephants after a 0-0 draw.
Five of the last six host nations to reach the final have won the tournament, the exception being Nigeria in 2000 (drew 2-2 with Cameroon, lost 4-3 on penalties).
Nigeria are playing in their eighth AFCON final, only Egypt and Ghana (both 9) have played in more such games in the competition (excluding final groups).
The Super Eagles have been victorious in two of their last three (1994 and 2013, lost on penalties in 2000) having lost their three before hand (1984, 1988 and 1990).
All four of Ivory Coast’s previous Africa Cup of Nations finals have ended goalless and gone to penalties – they won two of those shootouts (1992 and 2015, both vs Ghana) and lost two (2006 vs Egypt and 2012 vs Zambia).
William Troost-Ekong has scored from four of his five shots on target at the Africa Cup of Nations overall for Nigeria, converting two penalties at this year’s tournament.
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has had 24 shots at the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, although he’s only managed one goal (4% conversion rate).
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast: Date, kick-off time, venue
The final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off at 9pm on Sunday at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast: How To Watch
You can watch the match between Nigeria and South Africa on DSTV, GoTV and other local stations in Nigeria.
You can also watch the match on various online platforms, including Afrosports.
