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Africa’s fiercest rivalry will be rekindled in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday as the Super Eagles of Nigeria face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
The neighboring countries endured different group stages, with the Super Eagles enjoying a cruise into the knockouts with one-nil victories over Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.
Cameroon, meanwhile, were on the verge of a shock exit at the hands of Gambia but they managed to qualify after scoring two stoppage time goals.
Kick-off time and venue
Nigeria vs Cameroon is scheduled for a 9 pm kick-off on Saturday, January 27, 2024.
The match will take place at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
Where to watch
The match can be seen on DSTV Supersport channel 202, NTA among others.
Nigeria Team News
Jose Peseiro has found success with a 3-4-3 formation in Nigeria’s last two matches, with Fulham defender Calvin Bassey impressing at left cennter back.
Alhassan Yusuf, William Troost-Ekong, Zaidu Sanusi are all back from injury issues, and have been pictured in training.
Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman are competing to flank Victor Osimhen while Alex Iwobi may expect to replace Joe Aribo in the middle of the park.
Read Also: Nigeria vs Cameroon: Musa, Onuachu, Anthony swell Eagles camp to 21
Cameroon Team News
Cameroon’s preparation has focused on Andre Onana’s situation, with the Manchester United goalkeeper reportedly involved in a bust-up with national team chief Samuel Eto’o after being dropped for the Gambia game.
Fabrice Ondoa, is Onana’s main competition for the number one spot.
Veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar may finally be fit to make his bow at the 2023 AFCON.
[TheNation]
Cameroon Forward, Faris Moumbagna insists the Indomitable Lions are fired up for their Round of 16 clash against Nigeria.
Rigobert Song’s side has endured an underwhelming start to their campaign at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The four-time champions managed to qualify from their group, recording one win and two draws.
The Indomitable Lions will need to improve on their performance to stand any chance of beating the Super Eagles.
Moumbagna claimed that the team is in a positive mood going into the game with their perennial rivals.
“We prepared well, the atmosphere was good in the group. We are going to stay in the same state of mind and continue to give the best of us,” the Olympic Marseille star told a press conference in Abidjan.
” We are going to approach this match with 200% effort. We are going to give everything on the pitch like we did against Gambia, we are not going to give up”.
Saturday’s encounter is billed for the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan. It will start at 9pm Nigeria time.
[DailyPost]
Nigeria and Cameroon will renew their Africa Cup of Nations rivalry in a round of 16 clash of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Saturday (today) in Ivory Coast, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Eagles finished second behind Equatorial Guinea in Group A, while Rigobert Song’s men relied on a late 3-2 comeback win against The Gambia to progress behind Senegal in Group C.
The Eagles will be aiming to avoiding another round of 16 AFCON exit as they were dumped out at this stage by Tunisia at the last edition in Cameroon.
And in a bid to reach his first ever AFCON quarter-final, Jose Peseiro has hinted that he will maintain the 3-4-3 formation that saw his team edge past both AFCON hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau by the odd goal.
This system evolves to five defenders (three centre backs and two full backs) when the team are defending to the frustration of the other team.
Peseiro is also expected to keep faith with mostly the same players who have got the team to this stage of the competition. This means means that the trio William Troost-Ekong – if fit, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman are expected to be recalled to the starting line-up for the encounter.
Speaking ahead of the game, Peseiro revealed that he won’t be changing his team against the Indomitable Lions.
“At least one goal, we’ll attack well and defend together, you do that and we win,” Peseiro said.
“I have studied many of the matches between both teams but tomorrow (today) our objective is to win the match.
“I will try to stick with what I have been doing and hope our players start scoring more goals soon. The statistics say we are the team with the most goalscoring opportunities, and for that I cannot change my team or formation.”
Peseiro’s side has struggled for goals at tournament, netting three times despite heading into the knockout stage as the competition’s top creators, fashioning more clear-cut chances (13) than the other 23 sides.
The Nigerian Football Federation Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen, who was on-field captain for the squad that won the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, believes that the Eagles can soar over the Indomitable Lions if they play with flair and flexibility.
“Cameroon will always come with determination and grit,”Eguavoen said.
“The Eagles have to be even more prepared for them and deploy the greater flair and flexibility that we have.”
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s head coach, Rigobert Song, has revealed that he is aware of the threat Nigeria poses to his team’s chances of reaching the quarter-final and was swift to add that a comprehensive strategy is in place to curtail the fearsome attack of the Eagles led by Victor Osimhen.
Song, converted the decisive penalty in a shoot-out at the 2000 AFCON final in Nigeria after extra time scores were level at 2-2.
The former Liverpool, West Ham United and Galatasaray player acknowledged Osimhen’s prowess, hailing him as a “wonderful striker”.
However, he swiftly shifted the narrative, emphasising that the concentration of his team is not singularly on Osimhen but extends to the entire Nigerian squad.
“We have strong respect for Nigeria because they’re a very good side. “But we have our plans in place on how to approach this game.
“We respect him (Osimhen). He’s a wonderful striker. But our concentration is not just on him. It is on the entire team. We know what we need to do, and our strategy is in place. We know that our main focus is for Nigeria. They are a strong team. We are doing everything because we are here to win.”
With reports pointing to the return of Vincent Aboubakar from injury, Cameroon could be tempted to play the centre-forward from the start against the Eagles.
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has said the team’s approach against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Saturday is to defend as a unit while being clinical in front of opposition goal.
The gaffer said this on Friday in Abidjan at a pre-match press conference ahead of the epic clash.
“I don’t want to concede goals tomorrow (Saturday), I want to score at least one. If we do this, we will beat Cameroon,” Peseiro said.
The coach switched to a more defensive 3-4-3 formation in the group stage resulting in scrappy wins against Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau and a draw against eventual group A leaders Equatorial Guinea.
The coach said the most important thing at this stage was to win and advance to the quarter-finals stage.
He expressed optimism that the team’s goal poacher and Napoli hitman, Victor Osimhen, would start firing again from the knockout stage.
“For our next match (Cameroon), Osimhen will score; he’s important for the team. He’s the top scorer, but this is a different tournament and tough competition.
“He deserves to reach the top position because against Equatorial Guinea, he created so many chances and he scored.
“Did Equatorial Guinea beat us? No, we shared the points, and I know we will beat them next time because it’s not easy in this competition,” he said.
The Portuguese tactician also dispelled rumours of a rift with Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, who has not featured in the tournament, owing to an earlier injury.
He hinted at the forward seeing some action in the crucial clash with Cameroon.
“There are a lot of negative stories out there. If there was something between us, Kelechi will not be here. I will not invite him.
“He was injured before the competition and was not with us in Abu Dhabi. He arrived before our first game and started work the following day.
“We have to work with our doctors on his recovery process. We believe in Kelechi, he is going to play and score for us in this competition,” Peseiro said.
Nigeria and Cameroon will clash in a blockbuster Round of 16 tie slated for the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles will wrap up their preparations for the game with a training session at the Ecole Nationale de Police training pitch on Friday evening.
The last time both teams clashed at the 2019 AFCON, the Super Eagles came from behind to eliminate the Lions 3-2, in a thrilling encounter.
NAN
Moses Simon has boasted that the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon can’t derail the Super Eagles ambition of emerging champions at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria will keep a date with their perennial rivals in a Round of 16 contest at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on Saturday.
The Super Eagles are desperate to add to their three titles in Cote d’Ivoire.
Simon restated the team’s ambition to go all the way in the competition.
“We don’t think about history, whatever happened between Nigeria and Cameroon belongs to the past, “the Nantes winger told a press conference in Abidjan on Friday.
” We are going to approach the game the same way, the mindset is to win and move into the next round.
” I have a clubmate (Jean-Charles Castelleto), in their team. I know his strengths and weaknesses.
“Our goal is to win the game and the trophy as well. We will take it game by game. We are ready for the game and won’t allow them stop us “
[DailyPost]
Super Eagles winger, Moses Simon has claimed fans are putting too much pressure on Victor Osimhen to score for the team at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Osimhen has registered only one goal in three appearances for the Super Eagles in the competition.
The Napoli hitman also squandered a number of scoring opportunities in Nigeria’s three group games.
Simon, however, said the focus should be on the team, not an individual.
“We know that we have the best striker in the world in our team, which is Victor Osimhen,” the Nantes winger told a press conference in Abidjan on Friday.
“There is too much pressure on Osimhen to score. We have all missed good chances in the competition. I missed a good chance in the last game too.
“For us it is not about an individual, it is all about the team. We all take responsibility for everything that happens on the pitch.”
Napoli and Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has said his ambition at the ongoing African Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Ivory Coast is to win the title.
He stated this while reacting to the criticisms trailing his poor scoring form at the ongoing tournament, in a recent interview with CBS Sports Golazo.
Osimhen said goal drought is “normal” for strikers but assured that his goals will come when it matters the most, stressing that the team is focused on progressing through the tournament and lifting the trophy.
“I know that when the time comes, my goals will come for sure. I know that one for sure. I’m a striker, I can go ten games without scoring which is normal,” he said.
“It’s easy for people to speak [criticize strikers] when you don’t score for two or three games. But for me, I don’t care about that. I’m focused on making sure that the team continues to progress and get to our target which is winning the AFCON. This is what I am after.”
DAILY POST reports that Osimhen has managed just one goal in three games at the AFCON so far despite Nigeria creating the most big chances (13) in the group stage of the tournament.
The striker will be hoping to increase the tally when Nigeria face Cameroon in the round of 16 game in Abidjan, on Saturday.
Reports emerging from the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire reveals that foreign scouts have arrived in Abidjan, to monitor the performance of Super Eagles star, Alhassan Yusuf.
Naija News learnt that English Premier League side, West Ham United and RB Leipzig from the Bundesliga have sent their scouts to Abidjan to evaluate the 23-year-old player.
It is anticipated that Yusuf will make a comeback in Nigeria’s Round of 16 match against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, following his absence in the previous two games due to a thigh injury.
This injury was sustained during the Super Eagles’ opening game against Equatorial Guinea.
The midfielder is said to have resumed full team training on Wednesday ahead of Nigeria’s next match in the AFCON.
Yusuf was included in Nigeria’s AFCON 2023 squad following injury to Wilfred Ndidi
With the uncertainty surrounding the future of Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, at Napoli, the Serie A champions have started shopping for a possible replacement for the striker, The PUNCH reports.
While refusing to give out details on his next move, Osimhen in his latest interview with CBS Sports said he had already made a decision about his future.
“The rumour is going around about me linked with the Premier League,” Osimhen told CBS Sports.
When you’re one of the hottest strikers on the globe, you expect this type of thing, and of course, the Premier League is one of the biggest and best leagues in the whole world.
The Super Eagles have urged President Bola Tinubu to stop watching them on television but to join other Nigerians to cheer them live at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
The team has also assured Nigerians that they would win the title for the fourth time.Speaking in a zoom meeting with Sports Minister, John Enoh, yesterday, the Super Eagles, through their captain, Ahmed Musa, said having the President live in Cote d’Ivoire would add more fillip to their quest to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
Musa said: “We have a message that we want to send through you to Mr President… we don’t want the president to watch our matches on television any more, we want him over here to come and cheer us to victory.
“Finally, we really appreciate your word of encouragement to the team, and we promise to bring the cup back to Nigeria.” Earlier, Senator Enoh had told the players that he had a chance meeting with President Tinubu, who congratulated him for the Super Eagles’ progress so far, adding, however, that the president said he was not too impressed with the way they played in the group stage of the competition. He added that now that the Eagles have qualified for the second round, he hoped they would improve in subsequent games.
“That meeting at Aso Rock told me that Mr President has been watching your games and showing understanding that there is a lot of cautiousness at the group stage. He knows that from the round of 16, you are going to be more impressive,” he said.
Enoh also told the players that Nigerians are rooting for them to win the championship and urged them to continue listening to their coach, Jose Peseiro, who, he said, is ambitious to win the competition.
“I have had cause to tell people that there is nobody as eager to win the AFCON as Peseiro. So, I would like to urge you to listen to everything that he will say to you. Don’t lose focus, forget about the social media. I will even suggest that you do away with your social media… don’t listen to WhatsApp messages.
“Imagine what it would be like to be among the boys that won Nigeria’s fourth Africa Cup of Nations title. That would be a great achievement,” he told them.
[Guardian]
More...
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has released the best eleven players from the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The list, which has mostly players from Senegal and Morocco, does not have any Nigerian footballer included.
Equatorial Guinea’s Jesus Owono is the goalkeeper that made the cut, while his team mate Emilio Nsue, the leading scorer with five goals, is up front.
Morocco are represented by four players: midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Azzedine Ounahi, defenders Achraf Hakimi and Nayef Aguerd.
Defending champions Senegal have three players picked in the list. They are center-back Kalidou Koulibaly, winger Ismaila Sarr and midfielder Lamine Camara.
Angolan attacker Gelson Dala and left-back Arthur Masuaku of the Democratic Republic of Congo complete the line-up.
[DailyPost]
President Bola Tinubu has urged the Super Eagles to improve their performance and do better in the final stages of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.
Tinubu’s message was conveyed to the national team through the Minister of Sports, John Enoh, who spoke to the players from Abuja via Zoom on Wednesday night.
According to Enoh, the President was not too impressed with the showing of the team during the group stage.
He said, “I had a meeting with the President yesterday. I went to the villa for something else and the President cornered me and said we (Eagles) managed to qualify and I said that’s how we are going to keep going until we win the tournament.
“He said that I should tell the players that he wasn’t too impressed with the last match but he knows that now that they are off the group stages, they are going to impress him more.
“That’s what the President told me and it means that the President is actually watching your matches. Would you believe this? And the President is urging you and also showing an understanding of the game because he knows that there is a lot of caution at the group stage and from the round of 16, you are going to be more impressive.
“I remember that in 2022 in Cameroon, Egypt as a country struggled to qualify but they went ahead to play the finals.”
Responding, team captain, Ahmed Musa, thanked the sports minister but also called on the President to come to see them play live, saying it would serve as a motivation to the players.
The Super Eagles will play the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the last 16 of the tournament on Saturday at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
[Leadership]
Bright Osayi-Samuel has said it is important for the Super Eagles to start converting their chances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles have struggled in front of goal in the competition despite the glut of attacking talents at the disposal of head coach, Jose Peseiro.
The three-time champions have scored two goals from open play, with the other coming from a penalty.
They were guilty of wasting several scoring chances in their three group games.
With the competition now at the knockout phase, Osayi-Samuel has harped on the need for the team to improve on their finishing.
“In general I think we played well; we had a clean sheet, so it’s positive in terms of the defence,” the Fenerbahce star said on NFF TV.
“Collectively we had many chances and we know we will get chances in every game with the quality that we have and I think it’s about converting those chances.
“Overall, the game (against Guinea-Bissau) was good, it’s a learning curve now to see what we can improve to do better in our next game against Cameroon.“
The Super Eagles will take on Cameroon in a Round of 16 contest at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, on Saturday night.
[DailyPost]
The hosts of the 2023 AFCON, Ivory Coast have sacked their head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset though they still have a chance of progressing in the competition.
Ivory Coast are on the verge of crashing out of the 2023 AFCON after beating Guinea-Bissau in their opening game, losing 1-0 to the Super Eagles of Nigeria, and then ending their group stage campaign with a 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea.
Hence, Ivory Coast had to sack coach Gasset two days after the 4-0 defeat which was the country’s heaviest defeat on their home turf in their history.
The defeat also marked the first time an AFCON host suffered two defeats in the group stage of the competition in 40 years, a feat that was last recorded by Ivory Coast in 1984.
Ivory Coast are currently the third-placed teams in the tournament that have a chance of qualifying for the round of 16 as one of the four best losers. But that can only be determined after the end of the group stage campaign on Wednesday night, January 25.
Ahead of that, one of Gasset’s assistant coaches Emerse Fae will be the country’s coach for the time being.
A statement from the Ivorian Football Association explained that the FA “terminated” the contracts of 70-year-old Gasset and his assistant coach Ghislain Printant “due to insufficient results.”
Ivorian FA appointed the French tactician, Gasset, a former Bordeaux coach, in May 2022 to replace fellow countryman Patrice Beaumelle who is currently the coach of an Algerian football club MC Alger.
[NaijaNews]