AFCON PREVIEW: Dissecting Super Eagles’ tricky Group A opponents

The Super Eagles have landed in Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). As Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, told the players at their send-forth dinner, the Eagles carry the hope of the entire nation on their metaphoric wings. ‘Let’s Do It Again’, Nigeria’s theme for the tournament, conveys the appetite of a country baying for continental glory after a decade-plus wait for another title. 

To clinch the coveted fourth AFCON title, Nigeria must first navigate a tricky Group A that has Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Only two slots are available for automatic qualification out of the group, with another option to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams.

The last time Nigeria failed to advance from the group stage at AFCON was 1982. This might seem unlikely to happen again, but the Eagles’ recent inconsistent form fails to inspire confidence.

Ivory Coast have a superior head-to-head record over the Eagles at AFCON. Equatorial Guinea defeated Algeria, who were the defending champions, in the last AFCON, while Guinea-Bissau stunned Nigeria at home during the qualification round. The Super Eagles have their work measured out for them in Abidjan.

TheCable takes a look at the first set of foes that can upend Nigeria’s quest to conquer Africa once again.

IVORY COAST

Feat at last AFCON: Round of 16 exit

Key players: Franck Kessie, Sebastian Haller, Simon Adingra

The Elephants of Ivory Coast are the favourites to qualify from Group A alongside Nigeria. The country will host AFCON for the second time and hopes to exorcise the unpalatable history of when they last hosted the competition in 1984 and crashed out in the group stage.

It can be argued that Ivorian football has tremendously developed since then. The Ivorians are two-time AFCON champions, winning the cup in 1992 and 2015.

Ivory Coast will face Nigeria on January 18 in both teams’ second game of the competition, a match considered the potential decider of the group winner.

The last AFCON meeting between both sides was a 2-1 victory for the Super Eagles in the quarter-final of the 2013 edition in South Africa. The previous clash went the other way, with the Elephants defeating Nigeria 1-0 in a group game of the 2008 AFCON.

The Ivorians enjoy a slightly better head-to-head record over Nigeria with three wins, three draws, and two defeats at AFCON.

They would be hoping to improve on that with an attack spearheaded by Borrusia Dortmund’s Sebastien Haller, who demonstrated his finishing prowess before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2022. The 29-year-old might rekindle his form at the continental competition.

Brighton’s Simon Adingra has been a source of concern for defenders in the English Premier League (EPL) this season, and he could be a handful for the Eagles’ vulnerable defenceline.

Although Jean-Louis Gasset, Ivorian head coach, left out big talents like Wilfred Zaha and Eric Bailey, he trusts stars like Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare, Franck Kessie and Wilfried Singo of AS Monaco to lead the Elephants to a third AFCON glory.

Buoyed by the boisterous home crowd, the Ivorians will fancy their chances of beating the Eagles to become Group A leaders.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Feat at last AFCON: Quarter-final

Key players: Saul Coco, Emilio Nsue, Federico Bikoro

The forthcoming AFCON will be the first time Equatorial Guinea will be playing in successive editions of the competition. The country had featured in AFCON thrice before; the National Thunder secured the ticket through the qualification round just once. They were hosts on the two previous occasions.

Equatorial Guinea’s highest accomplishment at AFCON was a fourth-place finish in 2015. The closest the National Thunder got to that threshold was last AFCON, where they defeated Algeria, the cup holders, to emerge from the group stage and stunned Mali in the second round before Senegal eventually stopped them.

The Equatoguineans will hope to go on another giant-killing spree in Ivory Coast. They face Nigeria in both teams’ first game on Sunday. The result of the match will set the tone for either team as they venture into the competition.

Juan Michá, Equatorial Guinea’s head coach, oversaw the team’s brilliant performance in Cameroon two years ago. He returned 18 players who featured in the last AFCON into his squad for Ivory Coast.

Emilio Nsue, the team’s captain and record goalscorer, remains the country’s biggest star and threat to opponents, while Las Palma’s Saul Coco is a solid defender.

The National Thunder will aim to strike fear into the hearts of the Eagles and probably steal vital points.

GUINEA-BISSAU

Feat at last AFCON: Group stage exit

Key players: Mama Baldé, Opa Sangante

It is easy to dismiss Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau as the fodder of the group when their below-par performance at previous AFCON tourneys is considered.

They have featured at the continental competition only thrice previously and are yet to win a match. The Djurtus have just three draws and six losses in their nine games.

But the Bissau-Guineans stunned Africa in early 2023 when they defeated Nigeria 1-0 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja in the AFCON qualifiers.

The Djurtus will be hoping to cause another upset for the Eagles when they face off in the final group game on January 22.

Olympique Lyon’s Mama Balde, the scorer of the lone goal against Nigeria in the qualifiers, will lead the country’s line alongside the experienced Fali Candé.