Ivory Coast vs Nigeria prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets for AFCON 2024 group match – Sporting News
2023 Africa Cup of Nations host Ivory Coast look to continue their bright start as they face a tough opponent in Nigeria in Group A play.
The tournament hosts battered Guinea-Bissau in a 2-0 victory to raise the curtain on the competition, with a thunderbolt from Seko Fofana and a second-half insurance goal from Jean-Philippe Krasso securing the three points in front of a boisterous home crowd.
With Sebastian Haller and Simon Adingra still potentially out injured for Ivory Coast, they will have to continue feeding off the crowd to urge them to victory.
Nigeria, meanwhile, has suffered a fall from grace as one of Africa’s most talented footballing nations, missing a glutton of chances upfront in their opening round draw against Equatorial Guinea. Victor Osimhen got his tournament started with a 38th-minute goal, but he missed a slew of other opportunities and will need to be sharper here in a hostile environment.
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At AFCON, the host bump is a very real phenomenon, and after Nigeria fell victim to their frailties up front in their opener against Equatorial Guinea, the Super Eagles could be Ivory Coast’s next prey in front of a crowd resonant with excitement and support.
It will be hard to keep Victor Osimhen and company off the board completely, but if they don’t take every chance, Ivory Coast will have plenty of environmental inspiration to draw from down the stretch. Backing the hosts early in the Africa Cup of Nations is a consistently winning strategy in every iteration of the tournament.
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The hosts are potentially still without Sebastian Haller and Simon Adingra, but they showed against Guinea-Bissau that if they create enough chances, the home crowd can will a few of them into the net. Seko Fofana, who is marred in a brutal run of form at the club level, was a man-possessed in the AFCON opener, scoring a thunderbolt just four minutes in and nearly bagging another as he hammered a howitzer that nearly found the underside of the crossbar.
With Franck Kessie absolutely cooking in midfield, and Jean-Philippe Krasso taking his good club form along with him to AFCON as Haller’s understudy, this Ivory Coast team will find chances against a Nigeria side that has failed to keep a clean sheet in four straight games, all against theoretically inferior sides.
In a tournament where the betting market believes goals will be at an exclusive premium, backing the main threats to score can provide big profits. Victor Osimhen netted in Nigeria’s opener, and he is the top target for the Super Eagles.
Osimhen took six shots and amassed a huge 1.95 xG total against Equatorial Guinea, putting two on frame and finding the net in 38 minutes. While Ivory Coast will surely present a stiffer challenge, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman are both in good club form and have carried that creative spark with them to international duty.
beIN Sports has the broadcast rights to the entirety of the 2023 African Cup of Nations in both the United States and Canada. They will broadcast the matches in both English and Spanish, with both beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Espanol available to stream on Fubo USA and Fubo Canada.
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Sky Sports has acquired the broadcast rights to the African Cup of Nations in the UK and will put games on Sky Sports Mix, with streaming available on Sky Go.
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Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.
