The Super Eagles will hope to match hosts Ivory Coast with opening Group A win
The Super Eagles enter the fray as the Africa Cup of Nations continues in Abidjan today. Last night saw Ivory Coast shake off any pre-tournament nerves to run out deserved 2-0 winners over Guinea-Bissau thanks to goals in each half from Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso, with Nigeria hoping to follow suit this afternoon ahead of their huge Group A showdown with the hosts on Thursday evening.
Nigeria’s bid for a fourth AFCON title overall and a first since South Africa in 2013 is not helped by a wave of injuries that will see them without the likes of Victor Boniface, Wilfred Ndidi, Taiwo Awoniyi and Umar Sadiq for the entire tournament, but Portuguese head coach Jose Peseiro still boasts one of the strongest squads on the continent led by the likes of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze, among others.
While they will be expected to get off to a winning start today, their opponents could pose a tough test having finished fourth at the 2015 competition and also reached the quarter-finals on two other occasions in the last 11 years.
Starting lineups in full
Nigeria XI: Nwabali, Aina, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Zaidu, Yusuf, Onyeka, Iwobi, Lookman, Simon, Osimhen
Equatorial Guinea XI: Owono, Orozco, Ndong, Akapo, Coco, Bikoro, Buyla, Ganet, Machin, Salvador, Nsue
