Nigeria vs Tunisia
Super Eagles will face Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles in the round of 16 on Sunday.
In the Africa Cup of Nations, the two rivals will clash for the second time in three years in the knockout stage.
Nigeria and Tunisia are old adversaries. Super Eagles have played the Carthage Eagles 16 times, with the most recent encounter ending in a 1-1 tie in a friendly match in October 2020.
In their 16 meetings, both teams have five wins and six draws. Nigeria, on the other side, has had the upper hand in recent encounters, defeating Tunisia 1-0 in the 2019 AFCON third-place match.
In addition, Nigeria has not lost to the Carthage Eagles in their last five meetings, with four of those matches being in draws.
Augustine Eguavoen, the coach of the Super Eagles, has his entire team. So far, there have been no injuries.
Coach Mondher Kebaier, on the other hand, is not so fortunate, as twelve of his players have been ruled out due to Covid-19, including their most important player and Captain Wahbi Khazri. Ali Maaloul, their top striker, is also affected.
Coach Kebaier named only seven substitutions in their final group game against the Gambia, and the same may be enough against the Super Eagles.
Prediction
Nigeria’s defence has been outstanding, but they have not been able to convert their chances. Tunisia, on the other hand, has a blunt offensive and has struggled to create chances.
In the past, the game has been decided by razor-thin margins and given both teams’ proclivity for attacking, I expect Tunisia to lose the match.
Burkina Faso vs Gabon
Burkina Faso and Gabon will meet in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Limbe.
This will be their first meeting since a 1-1 draw in 2017, and Les Etalons will be looking to win one over their Central African opponents after failing to win any of the previous four encounters between the sides since 2013.
Burkina Faso secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations last Monday when they held on for a 1-1 draw against Ethiopia at the Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam.
Getaneh Kebede restored parity from the penalty spot seven minutes after the break after Les Etalons had taken a one-goal lead through Cyrille Bayala, but Les Etalons put on a defensive show of class to cling on to the point.
Prior to that, Kamou Malo’s team was greeted at the tournament with a 2-1 loss to host nation Cameroon on the first day, followed by a 1-0 victory over Cape Verde on January 13.
The West African nation finished second in Group A with four points from three games, level on points with Cape Verde, who also qualified for the knockout stages as one of the four best third-placed sides and three points behind group winners.
Prediction
As both sides, who are well suited on paper, enter the game in a similar form, I expect a very open contest with the result tipping, either way, I expect Burkina Faso to lose the match.
