Nigeria vs Cameroon prediction, odds, expert football betting tips and best bets for AFCON Round of 16 – Sporting News
Nigeria and Cameroon, two teams who have skirted past their flaws to reach the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage, now hope to capitalise on each others’ weaknesses as they meet in the Round of 16.
Both sides suffered setbacks early in the competition. Nigeria fell 2-0 in their pre-tournament friendly to Guinea before a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea opened their group stage slate. Yet they bounced back to beat both Guinea-Bissau and hosts Ivory Coast by 1-0 scores to advance.
Cameroon were pegged back in their first two group matches, drawing 1-1 with Guinea before being comprehensively beaten by Senegal 3-1. Yet a 90th minute winner by Chris Woo to squeak past Gambia 3-2 in the finale gave the Indomitable Lions a knockout stage spot at the death.
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While Nigeria are the better side, this is exactly the kind of match that could go to extra-time and penalties in what has been a sensational tournament to this point. Nigeria create lots of chances, usually in transition, but have struggled to score, while Cameroon don’t create loads of opportunities themselves but finish well when given the chance.
If Nigeria can manage to find the target more regularly, they can run away with this game, but no established favourite outside of defending champions Senegal has produced a performance to instill lasting confidence. If anyone wins, it likely won’t be in dominant fashion, and thus a draw is a more than reasonable outcome.
Overs at the Africa Cup of Nations always come with a good deal of risk, but this even-money play protects against a lower score while still offering a solid return if the game gets exciting, which it should.
Nigeria only conceded a single goal in the group stage, but there are signs that could be a false flag. The Super Eagles faced 33 shots across the three group matches, including 26 in their final two matches. Cameroon, meanwhile, have finished their chances at a solid rate and could punish Nigeria for any mistakes at the back.
On the other end, Nigeria don’t finish chances well but create a high volume of opportunities, and the presence of Victor Osimhen is always a danger. There are goals to be had here.
Despite the randomness potential in low-scoring games, receiving plus odds on this play at any level is a gift, and especially considering these two sides.
Cameroon especially have been second-half thrillers. The Indomitable Lions have seen 11 goals scored in their three AFCON matches thus far between themselves and their opponents — nine of them were scored in the second half, including all five of Cameroon’s goals.
While Nigeria’s three games produced just four goals, and one after halftime, they put up big attacking numbers in the final 45 minutes of their matches, just failing to find the target. The Super Eagles racked up 6.08 xG across their three matches, with 3.76 of that coming after the break, accounting for 62 percent of their chances.
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 games broadcast across their platforms. This match between Nigeria and Cameroon in the Round of 16 is broadcast on Sky Sports Football.
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
