The draw for AFCON 2023 was held in Abidjan on Thursday, with Nigeria selected in the same group as the host nation
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn in Group A for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in January next year.
Three-time champions Africans faced two-time champions Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. And for some, it’s a group of death.
However, if you look at it critically, it is clear that this is not the case. The only team likely to struggle for Nigeria is host Ivory Coast. With the support of a home crowd and a star-studded team, he gives his Eagles a chance to be super.
Previous matches against Ivory Coast in AFCON have not been completely productive. Nigeria has lost two of her last three meetings in this tournament.
However, the last time the two countries met, Nigeria defeated the Elephants 2-1 to win the AFCON in 2013.
In terms of quality on the pitch, the two countries are evenly matched. Ivory Coast have players such as Sebastien Haller, Wilfried Zaha, Simon Adingra, Evan Ndicka, Ibrahim Sangare and Franck Kessie.
However, apart from Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau are unlikely to pose a significant threat to Jose Peseiro. Guinea-Bissau has been a good customer for Nigeria.
The two countries faced each other in the last AFCON, with Nigeria winning easily 2-0. Things could have been much worse for Jultus if not for Nigeria’s wasteful spending.
However, Guinea-Bissau had a lot to achieve in the AFCON qualifiers. Guinea-Bissau shocked Nigeria in Abuja. Despite this, the Super Eagles defeated the Super Eagles in the second leg in Bissau.
Of course, it will not be an easy duel, but considering the history and quality of both teams, Nigeria is far ahead of Guinea-Bissau.
On the other hand, Equatorial Guinea also doesn’t have what it takes to defeat three-time African champions Nigeria. Adding to the lack of quality, they have lost their last two meetings.
It is clear that the only country that poses serious problems for Nigeria is Ivory Coast. Therefore, group A is not a group of death.
However, these are just theoretical arguments as the Super Eagles, despite their abundance of quality, have not inspired much confidence. While most of the Minos in Africa have improved over the years, they can still pose a serious threat to the Super Eagles if they don’t do their homework.
