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This is the match that the world is waiting for in the group stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023.
Cote d'Ivoire vs Nigeria
Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024
Time: 18:00 hours (6:00PM)
The Elephants take on the Super Eagles on Thursday, 18 January in their second Group A matches.
Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their opening clash, while Cote d’Ivoire triumphed to a 2-0 victory of Guinea-Bissau.
Here's an exclusive chat with some Nigerian Internationals and former winners of Afcon: Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh and Emmanuel Amunike to get their thoughts ahead of the top class fixture. .
Austin JJ Okocha Speaks - "It will be a difficult Game and Every Moment will be Crucial. "
Absolutely! Every match is difficult but when you play the host country, it is even more difficult. But, of course the beauty of football is that if you want to be champions, you have to win against the best. And as we know, in football, every match is difficult. If you are well prepared, you have a chance of winning your match. But, we Nigerians, we know that it will be a difficult match but also, we believe that we have enough potential to be able to win this match.
I think what the key will be is experience, desire and state of mind. For me, they are professionals, and they know the importance of this match, I think their mindset will be the key.
I think we didn't really play bad like many people say in match against Equatorial Guinea. There were a lot of positive things that were seen in the match. The only problem is that we didn’t take our opportunities. We created a lot of chances, which is a positive aspect for me. That’s the sign of a good team. It looks like two points lost because we were favorites, but we know how difficult it is to win a match. This is also a good thing because they now know that they are not perfect and that they need to improve certain things.
We know that Victor Osimhen is a world-class goalscorer, a very great player. He needs the services of his team and I believe he got them in this first match. It's not all the time that we see him miss clear opportunities. I think he is eager to correct his mistakes and with him, we have hope and we believe in him because we know he is capable of shining in any competition.
It’s not just Cote d’Ivoire. Every match today is difficult. The gap has narrowed, and I think we don't have to rely much on history. What interests us is the current Côte d’Ivoire that we will play on Thursday. If you look at our two teams, you will see that the difference is not big. It will be a good match
Sunday Oliseh Speaks - 'The Game Will Go to the Better Team, Not to the Star Studded Side. "
The Elephants was fun to watch. An interesting, impressive, matured and disciplined performance put up by Cote D'ivoire vs Guinea Bissau; to win 2-0 was absolutely a good start, but that doesn't mean, Guinea Bissau are definitely not a write-off.
I think the tempo of the game between Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria will be higher. Both teams must bring their A game to play. Cote d'Ivoire are well organized as a team and how they transit their build up from defense to attack and back is so lovely.
The Super Eagles are largely playing individual game and their was hardly coercion in their play against Equatorial Guinea. There build up play were so poor and transition were also so poor; leaving a lot of space between the midfielders and the defence line for opponent to explore at will. If that happen in the upcoming Cote d'Ivoire game, then Nigeria team will pay darely for it.
The coach must decide if team is high pressing or resorting to zonal play. The whole team must understand what next to do especially when they loss the ball.
Nigeria have the capacity, but they must play as a team with tactical balance and a clear match plan, what if this happen what's the next step.
In a competition like this, the team have to be very effective in scoring, because there won't be a lot of chances. Sometimes, if your opponent scores first, then it becomes difficult, the team will begin to struggle and may get frustrated, then start losing concentration. The players determination and mentality to win is key and will be do needed in this next game.
Emmanuel Amunike Speaks - "Super Eagles' Capacity to Manage the Game Will Be Put to A Maximum Test. "
Amunike told BSNSports.com.ng, that the Super Eagles must have the capacity to manage the game against the Elephants.He said: “First of all, our expectation was that Nigeria is going to beat Equatorial Guinea, which was normal. Unfortunately, we were not able to win that game. We had some chances in the second half but thanks to their goalkeeper, who was exceptional and was able to stop those opportunities that could have given us the three points.
“We just need to go back and look at the team. I keep on saying you can’t go into a battle based on your strength, you have to look at the strength and weak points of your opponents and also look at your own strength and then know what you can do.
“The game against Equatorial Guinea is gone. What matters now is for the Eagles to look at the areas they need to improve and reinforce against Cote d’Ivoire. Playing against the hosts will not be an easy game looking at the rivalry and pedigree between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. The Eagles must have the capacity to manage the game.
“In modern football now, if you are a team that cannot manage the game, then you find it difficult. That means you must be chasing the balls always. If they can manage the game and be able to keep it compact, and not only just sending the long balls to Osimhen, I see the Eagles winning. Everybody is expecting Osimhen to do miracles.
“The midfielders need to be involved more in the game. They need to support more on the offensive aspect. They need to have more balance and also when you don’t have the balls, they need to be in positions to close the spaces. These are areas you have to bear in mind that you have to be compact when you are defending,” Amunike stated.
