AFCON 2025 Qualifier: Benin Try Nigeria For Size In Abidjan

• As Rwanda go for broke against Libya in Kigali

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will today qualify for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations final tournament taking place in Morocco next year if they overcome the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in their Match Day 5 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign.

The encounter is scheduled for today, November 14, 2024, in Abidjan and this knowledge should see the Coach Austin Eguaveon-led side adopting a business-like approach from the first blast of the whistle by Senegalese Issa Sy who has been picked as the Centre referee

With three wins out of four games, the Super Eagles are riding high with 10 points, four more than the second-placed Benin Republic, who suffered a glitch in Kigali in the last round of games. Victory will virtually guarantee Nigeria’s leadership of the group going into the final-day matches. The Eagles’ only draw was in Matchday 2 when they drew goalless with Rwanda in Kigali.

On their part, arising from their 1-2 defeat to Rwanda, the Beninose have six points and cannot afford to slip further in the remaining two games. They have Rwanda, on five points to contend with and even Libya, with only one point, can still leap over the Benin Republic if they beat Rwanda in Kigali; the Cheetahs are beaten by Nigeria; and the Knights rout the Cheetahs in North Africa on Monday.

Benin have lost their last three AFCON qualifiers against Nigeria, failing to score in their last two while excluding their awarded match against Libya on matchday four, the Super Eagles are unbeaten in each of their last six AFCON qualifiers, winning five and keeping five clean sheets.

Interestingly, Atalanta of Italy forward Ademola Lookman has scored two of Nigeria’s four goals in AFCON 2025 qualifying so far, while for club and country this season, he’s netted 10 goals in 16 matches in all competitions.

Going by these permutations, it should surely be an explosive 90 minutes at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the Ivorian capital this Thursday night, and victory for the Eagles will make the Match Day 6 fixture against Rwanda, inside the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, a mere formality on Monday, November 18, 2024.

With a positive outcome in Abidjan, only the Rwandans will be hard-pressed to go all out with the hope of making something good out of the clash to keep alive their dream of appearing in Morocco next year.