Nigeria vs Benin
Nigeria will start their trip at the Africa Cup of Nations with a host role. They were asked to entertain Benin in the first week of Group L. qualification. Maximum results were targeted when appearing at Godswill Akpablo Stadium on Wednesday (11/13).
In the previous competition Nigeria won 3rd place after defeating Tunisia with a single goal. With this title, they became the favorite participants in Group L, eliminating Benin, Lesotho and Sierra Leone.
However, Benin is predicted to be a difficult opponent because they themselves made it to the quarter-finals. Their step stopped in this phase after being defeated by Senegal through a single goal which later became the second champion.
The two countries have only met three times in the past ten years where the hosts have always come out victorious, two for Nigeria (1-0, 2-0), and one for Benin (1-0). Reflecting on the previous competition, Nigeria was recorded to have only lost once during the group stage, namely against Madagascar (2-0) in the last week, having previously won over Burundi (1-0) and Guinea (1-0). Next, face Cameroon (3-2) and South Africa (2-1), losing to Algeria (2-1) in the semifinals.
Conversely, Benin’s trip was arguably shaded by luck because it never won during the group phase against Ghana (2-2), Guinea Bissau (0-0), and Cameroon (0-0). Next, winning a penalty over Morocco in the knockout phase (1-1), only finally losing to Senegal (1-0). If you look in the mirror from these data, then the tradition of victory for the host is likely to continue.
Our Prediction: Under 2.5
Odds: 1.80