A place in the last four is the prize as Nigeria battle Angola in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. Both teams have improved as the tournament progressed but the Nigerians have more experience at this level and should have the upper hand on Saturday.
Nigeria are in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after claiming a 2-0 victory over old rivals Cameroon in the round of 16. A goal in each half from Ademola Lookman was enough to earn them the win.
The Super Eagles have gotten better as the tournament progressed and have won every game since beginning their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea. They have come through sterner tests than the Angolans having overcome two former champions in Cameroon and hosts Ivory Coast and will be confident of coming out on top on Saturday.
Key to Nigeria’s success at this year’s AFCON is their backline as manager Jose Peseiro appears to have gotten his defensive structure spot on. They have kept clean sheets in the last three matches, shutting out top quality strikers and ensuring Cameroon had no attempts on target in the round of 16.
Angola were rampant in the round of 16 as they claimed a 3-0 victory over Namibia to secure a place in Friday’s clash. They took advantage of a first half red card to the Namibians with Gelson Dala netting a brace while Mabululu was also on target.
The Palancas Negras have a similar record to Nigeria having claimed three straight wins following a draw in their opening fixture. However the Super Eagles represent their first real test having faced mostly minnows since holding out for a 1-1 draw with Algeria on match-day one.
While they have kept clean sheets in their last two matches, Angola are not as compact as Nigeria as they often give away chances and have conceded three goals already. However, Pedro Goncalves’ men often make up for it in attack, with Gelson Dala and Mabululu particularly impressive.
How the bookies view it
Nigeria have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/10 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Angola is valued at 11/2 by Paddy Power, while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 by Unibet.
Head to head
Nigeria and Angola have claimed one win each with one draw from three previous matches. The most recent meeting was an African Nations Championship match in 2018 which ended 2-1 in favour of the Super Eagles.
Players to watch
A sturdy backline has played a pivotal role for Nigeria at the AFCON as they have not conceded in their last three matches. Calvin Bassey and William Troost-Ekong have been solid in defence and can lead the Super Eagles to another clean sheet at 19/20 with Coral.
Although he has not scored since the opening fixture, Victor Osimhen has caught the eye for Nigeria with his work rate and overall attacking play. The Napoli striker is due another goal and is priced at 13/8 by Unibet to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have kept a few clean sheets in the competition, so BTTS NO could be considered at 8/13 with Coral. Nigeria have won to nil in their last three matches and could be set for a repeat on Friday at 29/20 with Coral.
Nigeria scored in both halves in their last match and could be set for a similar pattern at 5/2 with Unibet.
This African Nations Cup match between Nigeria and Angola will be played on Feb 2, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nigeria vs Angola prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
