As the second round of group stage matches begins at the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday, few matchups are more exciting than Ivory Coast's meeting with Nigeria. The hosts are coming off an opening day victory over Guinea-Bissau and currently have a firm grasp on first place in Group A after being the only team to have won so far. Nigeria, meanwhile, have their sights set on improving from their 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea -- and could have eyes on top spot with a win.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, January 18 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe -- Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- TV: beIN Sports | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Ivory Coast +110; Draw +210; Nigeria +320
Storylines
Ivory Coast: It was not an overly dominant outing against Guinea-Bissau on Saturday, but Ivory Coast got the job done thanks to strong outings from goalscorer Seko Fofana and the person who notched the assist on his fourth minute goal, Franck Kessie. They could use a little room for improvement in attack, though, after putting just four of their 10 shots on target in game one. Still, they managed to do something that has so far been somewhat elusive at this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations -- win a game. Ivory Coast are one of just four teams to win a game so far, and a matchup against Nigeria could serve as a measuring stick for how far they could go in the competition.
Nigeria: The attack-heavy team that brought eight forwards to the tournament and started three of them on Sunday managed to score just once in their 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea. While the result is a testament to Equatorial Guinea's defense resolve, Nigeria were notably wasteful on that day and put just seven of their 17 shots on frame. Victor Osimhen bailed them out of trouble on Sunday and is skilled enough to do it again, but the draw raises some questions about the Super Eagles' ability to make a deep run at AFCON. It makes the matchup against the Ivory Coast a high-stakes one for Nigeria if they are to prove themselves as a regional heavyweight.
Prediction
Nigeria might have an attacking group that's as exciting as it gets, but the tactical vision seems half-baked at times. It could provide a nice opening for a solid Ivory Coast team to take at least a point out of this one, so let's call this one a draw. Pick: Ivory Coast 1, Nigeria 1
