Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast: AFCON finals preview

THE 2024 AFCON final battle has been solidified following the victories of Ivory Coast and Nigeria in their respective semi-final clashes.

Continue reading for a comprehensive guide regarding the AFCON final, a rematch of the matchup from Group A in which Nigeria prevailed on a penalty kick by William Troost-Ekong.

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast: Form Guide

AFCON 2024 hasn’t been short of drama, and the semi-final meeting between South Africa and Nigeria was no exception.

With just five minutes remaining, Victor Osimhen seemingly extended Nigeria’s lead by scoring on a counterattack. However, the objective was invalidated after a VAR assessment, and South Africa was awarded a penalty at the other end due to a foul on Percy Tau.

Teboho Mokoena successfully executed his penalty kick in the 90th minute, scoring a goal and resulting in the match proceeding to extra time. Grant Kekana received a red card for South Africa in the last moments of extra time after he made a desperate tackle on a Nigerian player, intensifying the already dramatic situation.

The Super Eagles had easily defeated all their opponents in this year’s AFCON. Still, they were compelled to engage in a thrilling penalty shootout against a determined South Africa team in the semi-finals.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s successful penalty shot brought Nigeria closer to securing their fourth continental championship, the first since 2013. However, Ivory Coast, who won the tournament in 1992 and 2015, has also had a remarkable AFCON tenure in recent weeks.

Nigeria: Previous 6 Matches

Following a catastrophic 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, which appeared to be the end of their group stage campaign, the hosts sacked their manager, Jean-Louis Gasset, mid-tournament. Despite this, they still managed to advance as the best third-place team in Group A before eliminating holders Senegal and Mali in the playoff stages.

On Wednesday night, in the other final-four clash, The Elephants defeated DR Congo 2–0, with Sebastien Haller netting the game’s lone goal. Possession and momentum remained with Ivory Coast for the most part, but the visitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo exhibited unyielding resistance despite facing consistent pressure.

Following an hour of intense play, Haller netted the game’s only goal, sparking wild celebrations in the stadium and giving the hosts the lead. The AFCON hosts maintained their position to secure an opportunity to advance to the tournament final against Nigeria this weekend in front of their home supporters.

Ivory Coast: Previous 6 Matches

AFCON Final: Team Updates

Further information regarding the teams will become available as the final date approaches after both teams have evaluated their respective squads in the aftermath of two intense semi-final matches.

Victor Osimhen, who had been initially unable to travel with the squad due to abdominal distress, was subsequently deemed healthy to captain Nigeria in their match against South Africa.

Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, and Moses Simon were all one sanction away from missing the final, but fortunately, none of those three players received a warning against South Africa.

Regarding Ivory Coast, both Haller and Adingra of Brighton are currently healthy and operating.  In the interim, Odilon Kossounou, Serge Aurier, and Oumar Diakite will all return to action for the Elephants after being suspended.

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast: Head-to-Head 

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast: The Betting Odds 

Nigeria 19/10

Ivory Coast 2/1

Draw 21/10

Unsurprisingly, the best betting sites in the UK have placed Nigeria as a significant betting favourite, a team that has already defeated Ivory Coast during the AFCON group stage.

However, the tournament has been filled with surprises thus far, and I wouldn’t rush to the sportsbook to fade the competition hosts because the Elephants continue to prove their doubters wrong despite reaching the final in extremely unlikely circumstances. 

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast: Prediction 

The unpredictable nature of the 2024 AFCON tournament doesn’t bode well for bettors backing a team to win, and the last four times these sides have met since 2006, the results have been split 50/50 (2 wins Nigeria, two wins Ivory Coast).

Statistics and trends are of little assistance regarding a winner of this final; however, there’s been a common occurrence during their head-to-head meetings and in Nigeria fixtures overall… a lack of goals!

The final is expected to be a highly competitive and cautious match, maybe determined by a single goal, similar to last month’s group stage game. However, it would not be unexpected for the match to extend into extra time and ultimately be decided by a penalty shootout, making the draw betting market at 21/10 an excellent value play alongside the under 2.5 goals total as an almost guaranteed outcome.

Nigeria has seen under 2.5 goals in eight consecutive games in all competitions, while Ivory Coast has witnessed under 2.5 goals land in six of their last seven fixtures overall. 

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast Best Bet: Under 2.5 Goals @ 1/2

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast Best Betting Value: Draw @ 21/10

Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast Score Prediction: 0-0 (Nigeria win 4-3 on Penalties)