Friday's Group C action will culminate in a highly-anticipated match between Nigeria and South Africa, as both teams vie for a coveted spot in the 2026 World Cup. Nigeria enters the match with a psychological edge, having previously ousted South Africa from the Africa Cup of Nations.
To Win (90 mins)
Nigeria 5/10
Draw 49/20
South Africa 5/1
Nigeria
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are currently searching for their first win in the qualifiers, having been held to a 1-1 draw by Lesotho at home in a match where they were expected to clinch a straightforward win given the gulf in talent between the two sides. However, they found themselves trailing when Motlomelo Mkwanazi opened the scoring in the 56th minute, the Eagles managed to regroup and equalise through Semi Ajayi in the 67th minute but failed to follow up with a winning goal.
The three times AFCON champions visited Zimbabwe in their second qualifier and found themselves trailing early in the match when Walter Musona scored 26 minutes into the start of the game. The home side enjoyed the lead until the 67th minute when second-half substitute Kelechi Iheanacho levelled matters. This has put them third on the Group C standings which is not a good position to be in as only the top two progress to the next round.
Finidi George was recently appointed as the head coach for Nigeria, he has a lot of work to turn things around to ensure that he leads the team to Canada, Mexico and the USA where the prestigious tournament will be held. Finidi’s squad announcement raised some eyebrows as he left out some notable and experienced players including captain Ahmed Musa, Jamilu Collins, Bruno Onyemaechoo Ola Aina and Kenneth Omerui while Victor Osimhen and Nathan Tella pulled out for personal reasons. William Troost-Ekong was sidelined due to an injury.
Despite the above-mentioned omissions, the team still has some strong and experienced players who are expected to give the away team a run for their money including the return of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface who was injured during the 2023 AFCON and Ademola Lookman who was instrumental in Atalanta’s clinching of the UEFA Europa League trophy.
Work continues #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/ZpmoHuYT8B
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) June 4, 2024
South Africa
Bafana Bafana occupies the second spot in the group standings after opening with a hard-fought 2-1 victory when they hosted Benin at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Percy Tau registered his name on the score sheet in the second minute and that was followed by Khuliso Mudau’s goal in the 45th minute while Steve Mounie scored the consolation goal for the visitors.
South Africa failed to build from the win against Benin when they visited Rwanda and suffered a 2-0 humiliation through first-half goals that were scored by Innocent Nshuti in the 12th minute and Gilbert Mugisha in the 28th minute. Bafana dominated the second half but could not convert their chances to goal.
Hugo Broos has made a number of changes in his squad following the last call-ups that he made for the first two qualifiers as well as the recently concluded AFCON. Experienced players including Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Teboho Mokoena, Themba Zwane and Percy Tau retained their spots in the national team. Burnley forward Lyle Foster has been called back after being sidelined due to dealing with a mental illness.
Orlando Pirates teenage sensation Relebohile Mofokeng received his first national team call-up. Mofokeng proved that he deserved the call-up when he scored a match-winner in the Nedbank Cup final where his side secured the trophy through a 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns. It will be interesting to see if Broos will feature him in the starting line-up.
Prediction
Both sides have been enjoying good form, South Africa last tasted defeat when they faced Nigeria in the AFCON semifinals and went on to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo in the third-place play-offs, which was followed by a 1-1 draw against Andorra and a 3-3 draw against Algeria in the International Friendlies that were played in March.
Nigeria on the other hand, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mali in their last match which was preceded by a 2-1 win against Ghana. With a new manager at the helm, it will be interesting to see the changes that he will come with. The AFCON 2023 silver medalists will enjoy home advantage as the match will be played in their backyard. Despite this advantage, Bafana is not an easy side to beat, I see this match ending in a draw.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named the 23-man squad to face Nigeria and Zimbabwe in two FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) May 30, 2024
🗞⤵️ pic.twitter.com/xrQgs7JsRD
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