The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) final will see Nigeria vs Ivory Coast lock horns in a highly anticipated Group A rematch at the iconic Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The clash will take place on Sunday, 11 February 2024.
Both teams faced off during the group stages of this year's tournament where the Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated the Elephants 1-0 on home soil for the first time in history.
24 days later, these teams will again meet in AFCON 2023 as finalists in a record setting matchup. Their clash will be the fifth time this century where the title-decider will be between two teams who progressed from the same group. But it's important to mention that neither of them topped Group A.
With the title up for grabs, Nigeria will be looking to extend their AFCON haul to four, while Ivory Coast will be dreaming of winning their third.
However, before this blockbuster Africa Cup of Nations encounter comes to our TV screens, let's delve into our Nigeria vs Ivory combined 11 for the final.
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast combined 11 for the 2023 AFCON final (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Considering the performances of the goalkeepers of both Nigeria and Ivory Coast, our choice is a clear one. The Super Eagles number one, Stanley Nwabali, stands in goal here having kept four clean sheets and made a series of big saves in six games so far in the tournament.
Defenders
In our defense line, we choose three defenders from Nigeria, and one from Ivory Coast who have really showcased defensive stability and organization for their teams.
Ala Aina wins a position at left-back, William Troost-Ekong and Calvin Bassey in the heart of defense, while Serge Aurier gets the nod at right-back.
It's worth mentioning that Aina and Bassey have 1 assist each, while Troost-Ekong has scored 2 goals in this AFCON.
Midfielders
In the midfield, Nigeria's Frank Onyeka, who has been the tank of Jose Peseiro's team in the AFCON, comes in as the defensive midfielder. In his front will be the duo of Franck Kessie and Seko Fofana. These three players have been pivotal in their teams' march to the AFCON final.
Fofana has 1 goal and 1 assist. Franck Kessie has 1 goal, he also scored the Round of 16 decisive penalty against Senegal as Ivory Coast triumphed 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Forwards
Ademola Lookman of Nigeria and Simon Adingra of Ivory Coast come in as the wingers in our set-up with the reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen as the lone striker.
Together, these three forwards have participated actively for their teams to reach the AFCON finals.
Lookman has four goal contributions, scoring 3 and assisting 1. Adingra scored 1, while Osimhen scored 1 and assisted 1.
In a nutshell, below is our Nigeria vs Ivory Coast combined starting XI for the AFCON final.
Goalkeeper: Stanley Nwabali
Defenders: Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, William Troost-Ekong, Serge Aurier.
Midfielders: Frank Onyeka, Franck Kessie, Seko Fofana.
Forwards: Simon Adingra, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman.
Subs: Yahia Fofana, Semi Ajayi, Evan Ndicka, Zaidu Sanusi, Ghislain Konan, Jean Michael Seri, Alex Iwobi, Yusuf Alhassan, Sebastien Haller, Moses Simon, Max Gradel.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
