Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are the top-ranked groups in Group A and each ought to qualify forward of lower-ranked Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau
Group A: Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau
The newest FIFA rating sees Nigeria, at 42, because the best-ranked crew in Group A, adopted by hosts Cote d’Ivoire (49), Equatorial Guinea (88), and Guinea-Bissau (103).
Primarily based on this, the Tremendous Eagles of Nigeria and the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire ought to end first and second on the group desk, however outcomes and performances over the past three months counsel there may very well be loads of shock outcomes at this AFCON.
Nigeria’s Tremendous Eagles have misplaced two of their unique 25-man squad, Wilfred Ndidi, and Victor Boniface, simply days earlier than the event’s kick-off, and plenty of Nigerian soccer followers should not really expectant that this crew, led by Jose Peseiro, can win a fourth AFCON title.
A number of pundits and former gamers have stated Nigeria is among the prime 5 favourites for the title.
In line with Algerian legend Rabah Madjer, each Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria not solely stand out as favourites of their respective teams however are additionally thought-about robust contenders for fulfillment within the total 24-team competitors. Madjer conveyed to cafonline, “It is extraordinarily difficult to single out a specific crew because the favorite, particularly with powerhouses just like the host nation Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, and Nigeria taking part within the finals.”
Head-to-heads
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Nigeria vs Cote d’Ivoire: Received-8; Misplaced-9; Drawn-10
The Elephants are the one crew to carry a greater head-to-head document in opposition to the Eagles, and their match-up on 18 January may seemingly decide the group winners.
This isn’t discountenancing the opposite two nations, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, who will attempt to develop into Davids within the group to defeat the Goliaths.
Nigeria vs. Equatorial Guinea: Received-3; Misplaced-0; Drawn-0
Nigeria vs. Guinea-Bissau: Received-2; Misplaced-1; Drawn-0
The Djurtus can be buoyed by their win over the Eagles final March on the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja; thus, their encounter on 22 January on the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan will maintain no fears for the 103-FIFA-ranked crew.
Cote d’Ivoire vs. Equatorial Guinea: Received-2; Misplaced-0; Drawn-1
Cote d’Ivoire vs. Guinea-Bissau: Received-1; Misplaced-0; Drawn-0
Guinea-Bissau vs. Equatorial Guinea: Received-1; Misplaced-0; Drawn-0
Hosts Cote d’Ivoire can be beneath stress to carry out, though the brand new Elephants are of their nascent section. Grizzled campaigners like Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Max Gradel, Franck Kessié, and Jean Michaël Seri can be anticipated to guide the newbies like Simon Adingra and Karim Konate.
The Alassane Ouattara Stadium and the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium will host all of the matches on this group in Abidjan.
