Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau: Wild Dogs dare Super Eagles in crucial showdown - AFCON 2023 Preview

Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau at AFCON 2023. (Photo Credit: Imago and Pooja Media)

Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau: Wild Dogs dare Super Eagles in crucial showdown - AFCON 2023 Preview

Izuchukwu Akawor 16:27 - 21.01.2024

Prepare for an explosive encounter as Nigeria Super Eagles and Guinea-Bissau fight in a thrilling AFCON 2023 Group A finale.

The Nigeria Super Eagles and their counterparts from Guinea-Bissau, the Wild Dogs, are set to face off against each other in the final game of the group stage in Group A. 

Both teams will go head-to-head at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Monday evening in a clash that could decide the fate of both teams in the competition.

Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau: Djurtus’ Rocky Road

While the Wild Dogs are set to play for pride after two defeats in two matches, Nigeria’s Super Eagles eye a place in the knockout stage in a game that promises to be pulsating and full of emotions.

The Wild Dogs find themselves on the brink of elimination from the AFCON 2023 after that embarrassing 4-2 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in the previous game.

Guinea-Bissau are on the brink at the AFCON 2023
Guinea-Bissau are on the brink at the AFCON 2023. (Photo Credit: Imago)

Guinea-Bissau look set to extend their wait for a knockout game at AFCON and will need to beat the Super Eagles by as many as four or more goals to have any chance of preserving their spot at the AFCON.

The Wild Dogs will go into this game with more than pride to play for and will be buoyed by the fact they beat Nigeria in the qualifiers.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.co.ke/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Super Eagles in the Driver's Seat

For one of the pre-tournament favourites, Nigeria, the Super Eagles are back dreaming of a fourth AFCON title after an impressive win against host nation Cote d’Ivoire. 

A shaky start to the 34th AFCON against Equatorial Guinea was followed by a hard-fought 1-0 defeat of the Elephants in the second leg to put Nigeria in a good place heading into the final match,

Watch the Super Eagles of Nigeria seal the top of the group against the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau in their final AFCON 2023 group game. - Imago

Manager, Jose Peseiro, changed things against the Ivory Coast and Nigerians will hope for more of the same against the Wild Dogs to ensure that the Eagles not only qualify for the next round but also finish as group winners.

Team News and Key Players

Guinea-Bissau’s boss Baciro Cande is expected to have all his players fit and could stick with his preferred 4-3-3 formation for the final game.

Alhassan Yusuf was forced off with an injury on his debut. (Photo Credit: Fly Fitness/X)

For Nigeria, the Super Eagles are expected to be without brilliant midfielder, Alhassan Yusuf while left-back, Zaidu Sanusi, who limped out in the last match remains a big doubt for the game.

But Peseiro could welcome back Leicester City star, Kelechi Iheanacho, for the first time in Cote d’Ivoire.

Related content