This Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash between tournament hosts Ivory Coast and Nigeria was already a big one but the latter drawing against Equatorial Guinea in their opener has seen the stakes rise significantly.
[ MORE: AFCON schedule, scores, group stage tables ]
Ivory Coast beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in their opener to delight fans across the host nation as Seko Fofana scored a beauty and the Ivorian squad is looking extremely strong. If they win this game then they’re basically in the last 16 of the tournament.
That isn’t the case for Nigeria after they drew with 88th-ranked Equatorial Guinea as Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen equalized after Ivan Salvador gave Equatorial Guinea a shock lead. The Super Eagles have a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders as they have a very talented attacking unit. Despite Nigeria winning this tournament three times, their last trophy came in 2013 which was two years before the Ivory Coast won their second trophy.
Below is everything you need for Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, as two of the favorites to win the Africa Cup of Nations square off in the group stage.
How to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, live updates and start time
Kick off: Thursday, 12pm ET (January 18)
TV Channel: beinSports USA
Online: Live updates via FotMob.com
Focus on Ivory Coast, team news
This is a stacked squad with plenty of familiar names for Premier League fans as Ibrahim Sangare, Willy Boly, Serge Aurier and Nicolas Pepe all featured in the first game. This is a side which boasts of rising stars as Roma center back Evan Ndicka leads their defense, while former Lens star Seko Fofana is a real threat from midfield and Franck Kessie’s quality in midfield is undoubted.
Injury wise, Les Elephants were hit with two blows as Brighton’s Simon Adingra (hamstring) and Dortmund’s Sebastien Haller (ankle) are both out for the early stages of the tournament
Focus on Nigeria, team news
Nigeria has a host of familiar names to Premier League fans too with Alex Iwobi, Frank Onyeka, Calvin Bassey and Ola Aina all featuring in their draw against Equatorial Guinea. Victor Osimhen is their star striker but Nigeria have so many options in attack with Ademola Lookman, Joe Aribo, Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheancho and Paul Onuachu all having Premier League experience and looking to make a big impact in this tournament.
AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze is also a real talent out wide and Nigeria have to make the most of all of these attacking players at their disposal and try to find balance. When it comes to injuries, Umar Sadiq (thigh) is their only absentee.
