These points will be up for grabs as Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea square off against each other on Sunday. Which of these teams will kick off their AFCON opener with a win?
Probable Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea lineups
As the Super Eagles begin their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title, these are our probable Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea lineups:
Nigeria
Goalkeeper: Stanley Nwabali.
Defenders: Bright Osayi-Samuel, Calvin Bassey, William Troost-Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi.
Midfielders: Joe Aribo, Raphael Onyedika, Alex Iwobi.
Strikers: Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman.
Equatorial Guinea
Goalkeeper: Jesus Owono.
Defenders: Basilio Ndong, Esteban Obiang, Marvin Anieboh, Carlos Akapo.
Midfielders: Federico Bikoro, Pablo Ganet, Iban Salvador, José Machin, Josete Miranda.
Strikers: Emilio Nsue.
Confirmed Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea lineups
Line Up! #SoarSuperEagles #LetsDoItAgain #TotalEnergiesAfcon2023 #NGAEQG pic.twitter.com/u0WLlTjgk6
— ?? Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 14, 2024
Nigeria
Equatorial Guinea
*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they're released
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea predictions
Prediction 1: Equatorial Guinea not to lose
As three-time AFCON champions, the Super Eagles are the bookies' favourites to win this match. However, their recent run of results don't inspire a lot of confidence.
Jose Peseiro's men have struggled to find their best form of late, winning just one of their last five matches.
In contrast, Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea have been a tough nut to crack. They are currently on a 10-match unbeaten run (6 wins, 4 draws) across all competitions.
Taking the Super Eagles' recent struggles into account, we believe that Equatorial Guinea will hold their own on Sunday.
Prediction 2: One team will not score
We've established that Equatorial Guinea have no losses in their last 10 matches. They've been very solid defensively, keeping three clean sheets in their last four matches, and conceding just once.
Meanwhile the Super Eagles have not particularly been very efficient in front of goal recently, as they scored two goals in their last three matches. On that note, our second Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea prediction is that one team will keep a clean sheet.
Prediction 3: Less than three total goals
Lastly, let's explore the over/under goals market. It may interest you to know that Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have both been involved in a lot of low-scoring games these past few months.
On one hand, Nzalang Nacional's last six matches went south of the 2.5 goal marker. Their last four matches saw just one goal scored per game on average.
Similarly, less than three goals were scored in Nigeria's last three games; and for this reason, we shouldn't expect many goals in this match.
Where to watch Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea live
Fans in Nigeria can tune into Supersport Football Plus and NTA Sports 24 for live coverage of this game. On the other hand, this match will be available on Canal+ CAN and Supersport Football Plus for fans who reside in Equatorial Guinea.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
