Nigeria will be targeting their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations final since 2013 as they battle South Africa in the semi-final on Wednesday. Driven by a solid defence, the three-time champions have been imperious in the competition and should have the upper hand in this one.
A 1-0 victory over Angola was enough to see Nigeria progress to the semi-final of the AFCON. They were made to work hard by the Angolans with Ademola Lookman’s second half effort proving the difference.
It has been an impressive AFCON campaign for Nigeria as they are yet to taste defeat after five matches. Since playing out a1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their opening fixture, the Super Eagles have not looked back, winning every match so far to reach the last four.
Although they tend to miss goalscoring opportunities, Nigeria have managed to find the net in every game so far. Manager Jose Peseiro also appears to have gotten his defensive set up spot on as they have conceded just once in the competition and kept clean sheets in their last four matches.
South Africa needed penalties before seeing off Cape Verde in the quarter-finals. After battling to a drab 0-0 draw, they triumphed 2-1 in the shootout with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, saving four penalties.
It has also been a decent AFCON campaign for South Africa, who are yet to taste defeat since their opening fixture. However, unlike the Super Eagles, they have picked up just two regulation time wins, playing out a 0-0 draw with Tunisia in their final group game before the similar result in the quarter-finals.
One similarity with Nigeria is that South Africa have also kept clean sheets in their last four matches. However, they have failed to score in three of their five matches in the competition.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Nigeria as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 8/13 by Unibet. A victory for South Africa is valued at 6/1 by BoyleSports while bet365 is offering odds of 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head
Nigeria have only lost once to South Africa, claiming seven wins and playing out four draws from seven previous meetings. The Super Eagles earned a 2-1 victory during the quarter-finals of the 2019 edition and also triumphed 2-0 in South Africa’s last appearances at the AFCON semi-finals back in 2000.
Players to watch
Nigeria have been driven by a sturdy backline that has conceded just once in the competition. The Central defensive trio of Semi Ajayi, William Troost-Ekong and Calvin Bassey have been watertight and can lead the Super Eagles to a fifth straight clean sheet at 8/11 with Betfred.
At the other end of the pitch, Ademola Lookman has caught the eye during the knockout stage with three goals in his last two matches. The forward is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Nigeria have won to nil in their last four matches and could be set for a repeat at 6/5 with BetVictor. They have also led at the break in their last three matches, so a halftime win could be on the cards at 27/20 with Coral.
The Super Eagles won both halves in the round of 16 over Cameroon and could be set for a similar pattern at 7/2 with Paddy Power.
This African Nations Cup match between Nigeria and South Africa will be played on Feb 7, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nigeria vs South Africa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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