How will Nigeria fare in this upcoming Cup of Nations? We took a closer look at their history in the tournament and their chances this time around here.
With the Cup of Nations rolling around again, it is only a matter of time until we see how Nigeria might fare. In this tournament, it is not unusual to see them pull ahead of the competition, so it would be fantastic to see them continue this trend. Let’s take a closer look at how we could expect them to so in one of Africa’s biggest football tournaments.
The Cup of Nations
Anyone used to checking out the latest football betting odds for the African countries will often find Nigeria ranked quite highly. Out of the many teams on the continent, it is not too much of a stretch to say that they are one of the best. This can clearly be seen in their performance at the Cup of Nations thus far.
They have collected three titles in this tournament – in 1980, 1994, and most recently in 2013. Along with this, they have collected a range of third place and runner up titles. It is clear that they are able to offer some good competition for any team that they might face throughout this tournament. This is an international competition in which they are comfortable and they know how to win. Though one might think that this could lead to complacency, it could also lead to some fantastic results.
A Good Group Stage
Nigeria has been placed in Group D for the opening rounds. This will see them face Egypt, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau. We predict that Nigeria will have no trouble making it out of the group, it all depends on whether they do so in first or second place.
Egypt is another one of the big African footballing teams. Led by Mo Salah, one of the many players coming over from the English Premier League, we can expect them to offer quite a bit of resistance to Nigeria’s trajectory. The two countries have 15 semi-final appearances each, but Egypt does have more crowns at the Cup of Nations overall. Of course, this means nothing on the pitch itself, so we could see Nigeria pull out a win against them. With without stars of their own like Victor Osimhen who is unavailable as he is recovering from a facial injury. All pressure will be on Wilfred Ndidi to help cement their footing to make it out of the group.
A Fight for a Fourth Title
Once out of the group stages, Nigeria will still have a long battle ahead of them. There is some real talent in African football at the moment and we will no doubt get to see the best of the best playing out in this tournament.
Cameroon has been tipped as a team to watch. They are hosting this Cup, and are facing Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and the Cape Verde Islands. We can expect them to make it onto the round of 16 and potentially even further, so there is a chance that they will be able to offer real competition later on. We also can’t rule out Algeria. They should be able to make it through a group composed of Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea, and on to the rest of the competition.
Will Nigeria Come Out on Top?
With focus and the right drive, there is no reason why we could not see Nigeria coming out on top once more. They are in a great group, and they should be able to deliver some great results no matter which teams they come up against. Though some of the competition is likely to be very strong this year, we can fully expect Nigeria to rise to meet this challenge. Following their progress, hopefully to the latter stages of the Cup of Nations, should help to show why this is known as the beautiful game.