Nigeria and Egypt lock horns in a first-round group-stage clash that has enough quality which could possibly see both teams meet each other in the final. These giants of African football are fully expected to qualify from Group D, so this encounter serves as a straight knockout match to decide who will enjoy early bragging rights and finish on top of the group.
Africa Cup of Nations – Group D
Tuesday 11 January
Roumde Adjia Stadium
18:00
To Win
Nigeria 23/10 | Draw 17/10 | Egypt 13/10
Nigeria
Nigeria were dealt with a massive blow leading up to the tournament as Emmanuel Dennis wasn’t released by English Premier League club Watford because the Nigerian FA didn’t request permission for the forward in time for the tournament.
Meanwhile, Napoli spearhead Victor Osimhen, who’s enjoying a sensational season and would’ve been a leading contender to take the Golden Boot award, was also ruled out for the continental showpiece after testing positive for Covid-19 while recovering from previous facial injuries.
Seasoned veteran Leon Balogun will be another loss alongside fellow defender Shehu Abdullahi with Orlando Pirates’ 23-year-old centre-back Olisa Ndah expected to form a partnership with captain William Troost-Ekong in the heart of defence, protected by Leicester City’s midfield dynamo Wilfred Ndidi.
Brentford’s Frank Onyeka continues to impress in the English Premier League and would certainly prove to be a worthy partner for Ndidi. The pace and power of Ahmed Musa would be my personal choice alongside Everton’s Alex Iwobi and Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze in the wider areas, but Musa hasn’t hit the ground running since moving to the Turkish Super Lig.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo are powerful forwards that could bully most defences on their day and considering all the absentees, coach Gernot Rohr will be relying on them even more to help the Super Eagles claim their fourth Africa Cup of Nations title.
Egypt
Egypt (6/1) are the second-favourites behind Senegal (5/1) to win the tournament outright and very rightly so.
Mohamed Salah is one of the elite footballers in Europe that’s consistently been delivering the goods at the highest level since making his big move to Liverpool in 2017, breaking all sorts of records with each passing season.
You always need an exceptional goalkeeper who could make the difference when the likes of Salah have an off day or is being double-marked because of the threat he possesses. Look no further than Al Ahly’s number one, Mohamed El Shenawy, who’s won back-to-back CAF Champions League titles under South African manager Pitso Mosimane.
Aston Villa winger Trezeguet and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny will bring quality to the squad that’s predominantly made up of Pyramids FC and Al Ahly players.
Mohamed Sherif is expected to lead the line for the Pharaohs, with the shock omission of attacking-midfielder Mohamed Magdy Asfha proving the quality head coach Carlos Queiroz has at his fingertips.
Prediction: Egypt Win (13/10)
Nigeria would’ve had two weeks to prepare after star man Victor Osimhen was ruled out, while Egypt are at full strength to add an eighth star on their badge.
