Nigeria vs Angola prediction, odds, expert football betting tips and best bets for AFCON quarterfinals – Sporting News
The next title hopeful on upset alert in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is Nigeria, who meet 117th-ranked Angola in the quarterfinals on Friday.
With Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Ghana, and Tunisia all eliminated from the competition, the Super Eagles will fancy their chances of reaching deep into the competition as the field thins of on-paper juggernauts. Yet they will know that they will suffer a similar fate if they look past their surprise opponent here.
Angola surprisingly topped Group D ahead of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Algeria with seven points from their three matches, before emphatically toppling Namibia 3-0 in the Round of 16.
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Algeria striker Gelson Dala has four goals so far in the competition, one behind the leader, Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea. His double in the previous round helped the Antelopes advance dominantly and provided a threat to Nigeria’s impressive defensive solidity over the past two weeks.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Nigeria vs Angola and bet on AFCON 2023 matches
In a tournament dominated by chaos and shocking results, Nigeria will suddenly see the bracket open wide for them to make a run. The Super Eagles have potentially the most talented squad remaining in the field, and in a knockout quadrant with Cape Verde and South Africa on the opposite side, Nigeria will consider themselves the favorite to reach the final.
If we’ve learned anything from this year’s AFCON, it’s to never underestimate the lower-ranked nations in the continent in knockout competition, and Angola should provide a stiff challenge as they did to Algeria in the opener, but Nigeria is in good enough form to get through in the end.
Angola has scored in every single match of the competition thus far, winning the expected goals tally in doing so each time as well. They are finishing at an exceptional rate, with nine goals on 5.83 xG, indicating they can find the net even amidst a potential lack of chances.
Nigeria have also scored in all four of their matches to this point, and with Victor Osimhen up front plus the likes of Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi in good attacking form, they will be primed to keep up. Only the stout back line of the Super Eagles could be a potential spoilsport in this instance.
While Victor Osimhen has just one goal so far in this AFCON tournament, he’s been heavily involved in every single one of Nigeria’s four matches upfront. He scored in their opener against Equatorial Guinea, finding the net on the first of his six efforts, but the high volume of chances didn’t end there.
Since that opener, Osimhen has come up empty with nine shots, and while he’s struggled to reprise his 2022/23 form this campaign for both club and country, a striker of his caliber can’t stay down for long. As the clear star goal scorer on the pitch in this match, his odds aren’t the most palatable, but backing him to find a second goal in this tournament is smart as he will have a major say in Nigeria’s title chances from here on out.
The entirety of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations can be found on beIN Sports in both the United States and Canada. All games throughout the knockout stage will be televised in both English and Spanish, and beIN Sports can be found in both countries on Fubo USA and Fubo Canada.
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In the UK, AFCON 2023 is televised by Sky Sports, with this match between Nigeria and Angola broadcast across their platforms as are all matches in the tournament.
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
