Nigeria v Cameroon: Match preview, what to expect, confirmed team news, key players, kickoff time 

Nigeria will trade tackles with Cameroon in the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday night.

 

The Super Eagles qualified with less hassle as compared to the Indomitable Lions having finished second in Group A with seven points, the same as table-toppers Equatorial Guinea.

 

On the other hand, the five-time African champions had to rely on a dramatic win over The Gambia in their last group game to qualify.

Match preview

Both sides are no strangers to each other having met on 25 occasions with seven of them being at AFCON.

During the meetings at the tournament, Nigeria lost on 3 occasions with all being in the final, won three also, and drew the other one.

While they both share a similar head-to-head record, the Super Eagles will head into the game as slight favorites due to their form in the competition.

 

What to expect

With bragging rights and a place in the quarterfinal at stake, this could be another cagey affair, and the fact that José Peseiro's side have been stingy in giving away chances is another pointer to that.

The Super Eagles are likely to retain their 3-4-3 formation which changes to a 5-4-1 shape when defending.

Most of the chances created by the Super Eagles so far have been from crosses and set pieces as they rely heavily on the flanks which has been supported by statistics.

According to whoscored.com, only 27% of the 2013 AFCON champions' attacks have come from the midfield with the left and right flanks having 43% and 31% apiece.

Similarly, the Indomitable Lions have created most of their chances from set pieces and crosses, with 4 of their goals coming from crosses into the penalty areas.

It won't be surprising if the game is decided by the team with the better delivery into the penalty area and the more clinical from chances created from those deliveries. 

 

Confirmed team news

 

Nigeria: Manager Jose Peseiro has been handed a double injury boost with the return to full training of William Troost-Ekong and Alhassan Yusuf. 

 

The PAOK man sat out the win versus Guinea-Bissau due to a knock while the defensive midfielder was not called up for the last two matches due to a thigh issue. 

 

Cameroon: Vincent Aboubakar is available for selection having returned to contact training on Wednesday. The 2022 World Cup star was injured before the start of the competition. 

Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Clinton Njié has also shaken off his injury and in contention to be included in the matchday squad. 

 

Key players 

1.  Calvin Bassey(Nigeria): Since making his first start in the competition against Ivory Coast, the Fulham defender has barely put a foot wrong and has played no small part in Nigeria's compact defending so far.

 

No Nigerian player has made more tackles per game than the former Rangers centre back and he is yet to be dribbled.

The 25-year-old will need to be at his best again for the Super Eagles to keep the Indomitable Lions at bay.

2. Frank Onyeka(Nigeria): The Brentford midfielder has stepped into the big shoes left by Wilfred Ndidi and has done well.

He ranks 5th for most tackles, 2nd for most interceptions, and joint 4th for most clearances per game in the squad.

Onyeka's good reading of the game will be put to test once again and has to excel for the Super Eagles to come out unscathed from the encounter.

 

3. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou (Cameroon): The 28-year-old has been the most decisive forward for the five-time champions with his deliveries from the wide being his biggest strength so far.

His 3 assists is the most in the Cameroonian squad and he is the player with the most key passes and dribbles per game.

4. Karl Toko-Ekambi (Cameroon): He has one goal in 2 games so far and his directness in the attacking third has been unmatched by his teammates having recorded the most shots per game.

The 31-year-old is another player the Super Eagles will have to keep a close eye on in the game.

Venue and kickoff time

 

The game will be staged at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny by 2100 Nigerian time

 

 

 

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

 

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