Ivory Coast vs Nigeria Prediction: Africa Cup of Nations Match on 18.01.2024

Date and Time: Thursday, January 18, 17:00 GMT

Venue: Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe

Team Overview

The Hosts, Ivory Coast, Are Looking For A Second Consecutive Win in Group A

The hosts opened the AFCON tournament with a 2-0 win against Guinea-Bissau. Going into the tournament, Ivory Coats won three consecutive matches against Seychelles (9-0), Gambia (0-2), and Sierra Leone (5-1).

Their form heading into the tournament and their opening performance against Guinea-Bissau feed into the football predictions, making them favorites against the Super Eagles on Thursday. 

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Nigeria Are Looking for a First Win Going Up Against The Hosts

Equatorial Guinea held The Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in their opening Group A clash. Nigeria was the football pick to win their opening match, but a poor start saw them go behind in the 36th minute to an Ivan Salvador strike before Victor Osimhen quickly restored parity in the 38th minute.

The Super Eagles could not find the winner, settling for a point in Group A. The draw continued the pre-tournament trend, where Nigeria had three consecutive draws against Saudi Arabia (2-2), Lesotho (1-1), and Zimbabwe (1-1), in a lackluster run of results. 

Head-to-Head Statistics

22bet’s football bet predictions leverage the head-to-head statistics and form guide for the two sides. The head-to-head between the two sides shows Ivory Coast with an edge, with two wins, and Nigeria with one in their last three meetings.

Player Focus

Both sides have potent attackers and have shown their ability to score goals. However, the two sides have challenges in their defensive set-up. Therefore, expert soccer predictions show that the match is likely to be decided on the offensive ends of the two sides.

Seko Fofana

The Al-Nassr midfielder has started the tournament in good form, scoring a goal in Ivory Coast’s 2-0 win against Guinea-Bissau. His attacking thrust from deep will be essential for the hosts as they look to break the Nigerian defensive structure and create chances.

Victor Osimhen

The Napoli striker is the beating heartbeat of the Super Eagles. His goalscoring as well as movement, link-up, and positioning, will be central to Nigeria, causing the hosts problems on Thursday.

Tactical Analysis

This match will be cagey; both sides will be tentative in their approach, looking to be pragmatic and make it difficult for the other side to open them up and create chances. It will be a match of few goalscoring chances. 

Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria Expert Analysis

Nigeria will keep the 4-1-4-1 formation, giving them an edge in the middle of the pack, while the wingers offer width in attack and solidity when without the ball. However, this approach will isolate Victor Osimhen as the lone attacker.

Football prediction analysis shows that Ivory Coast will persist with the 4-3-3 formation, giving them control of midfield and allowing the midfielder to push forward and support attackers when in possession.

Betting Odds

Pre-match odds offer 22bet’s free football predictions, highlighting Ivory Coast as the slight favorite heading into the match. 22bet will also offer live prediction football on the site after kickoff on Thursday.

Ivory Coast and Nigeria are finely balanced; they will fight to a draw and share the points. 

Disclaimer:

The content provided on this page, including all football predictions, odds, and related information, is for entertainment and informational purposes only. While we strive to ensure accuracy and timeliness, we do not guarantee the correctness or reliability of any predictions, data, or information presented here.

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