Group D of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations begins with a clash between two former champions as Nigeria Face Egypt. The Nigerians have a poor record in opening fixtures of the AFCON and with Egypt looking off colour lately, both teams are likely to cancel each other out.
Nigeria's build up to this year’s Africa Cup of Nations has been filled with problems and distractions. First, they fired their coach a month before the start of the tournament with former player and manager Augustine Eguavoen put in interim charge of the team.
The Super Eagles are also without a number of their key players with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Emmanuel Dennis, Leon Balogun and Odion Ighalo set to miss the competition. Results on the pitch have not been particularly convincing lately as they have claimed just three wins from their last nine matches across all competitions.
Another thing that could be an obstacle to Nigeria is their recent record in their opening fixture at the AFCON. The Super Eagles often need some time to get into their rhythm and as such have not won their first match in the competition since 2006.
Egypt have also had their problems in the build up to the Africa Cup of Nations with a COVID-19 outbreak leading to a delay in their departure to Cameroon. The outbreak means that defender Mohamed Hamdi has now been ruled out of the competition.
The Pharaohs are record winners of the AFCON with seven titles but have not laid hands on the trophy since 2010. Despite their recent showings, Carlos Queiroz’s men are often one of the teams to watch out for given their history in the competition.
Like Nigeria, Egypt have also found things difficult lately and have claimed just one regulation time win in their last five matches across all competitions. Much of their hopes is placed on the shoulders of Mohamed Salah, who is one of the best players in the world and is expected to drive his team to glory in Cameroon.
How the bookies view it
Egypt have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 13/8 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory Nigeria is valued at 9/4 by William Hill while betway is offering odds of 2/1 for a draw.
Head to head
Egypt have a 3-1 advantage and one draw from five previous matches against Egypt. The only victory for the Super Eagles was a 1-0 friendly triumph in 2019 while the Egyptians ran out 3-1 winners the last time both teams met in their opening group fixture at the AFCON back in 2010.
Players to watch
Nigeria are depleted in attack with Odion Ighalo, Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis all ruled out. This means Kelechi Iheanacho could be the one to keep an eye on and is priced at 14/5 by betway to get on the score sheet.
Mohamed Salah is the biggest attacking threat for Egypt and they will be banking on the Liverpool forward to carry his impressive club form into the national team. He is priced at 9/5 by Paddy Power to find the net on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Egypt have been level at the break in their last three matches and could be a smart tip for another halftime draw at 10/11 with Skybet.
This African Nations Cup match between Nigeria and Egypt will be played on Jan 11, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nigeria vs Egypt prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
