Afcon 2023: Cocky and mouthy Eagles arrives in Abidjan as Opta says they are an outsider in the title race

Jan 11, 2024 - 09:48

Our Super Eagles whose boasts have not been reflected in their recent results arrive Abidjan on Wednesday Nigeria’s journey to a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title ahead of their opening game of the competition against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

The Super Eagles, one of the teams tipped for the trophy currently in Senegal’s custody, have been preparing for a big onslaught on the championship since last year culminating in a one-week training camp in the United Arab Emirates last week.

The team returned to Nigeria from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and were treated to a state reception by the Lagos State government the same day before they left for Abidjan on a chartered aircraft.

But before leaving for Cote d’Ivoire, the players and their officials in their usual mouthy style pledged to fight with all the weapons available to them to ensure that Nigerians celebrate victory on February 11, which is the final day of the championship.

Speaking on their readiness to make Nigerians proud in Cote d’Ivoire, Captain Ahmed Musa said the players have resolved that winning the trophy is the only way to repay Nigerians for their loyalty, even in difficult times.

He acknowledged the power of football and stated that even though he knows the joy of winning the Africa Cup trophy, having been part of the squad that triumphed in South Africa in 2013, he is eagerly anticipating another touch of the coveted trophy.

“We are ambitious, and we will do our best. The Afcon is an important tournament for every African player, and we are all looking forward to giving our best to do the nation proud,” he said.

Echoing the players’ optimism, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, assured the country that the Head Coach, Jose Peseiro, and the top players have promised that they are going on an onslaught for a fourth continental title in Cote d’Ivoire.

“I have spoken to the Head Coach and the captain, and also a good number of the players, and they have assured me of their determination to push strongly for triumph in Cote d’Ivoire, thereby winning the trophy for a fourth time.”

He added that the NFF is grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving funds for the team’s preparation and participation at the continental finals.

Meanwhile, according to Opta Sports, a British sports analytics company, using a supercomputer has ranked Nigeria as 6th favourite country to win the tournament.

Opta, using their supercomputer, says the Eagles have an 8.1 per cent chance of winning the Afcon for the first time in 10 years.

“After winning their third Afcon in 2013, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 editions, then finished third in 2019 and suffered a last-16 exit at the hands of Tunisia last time out. Boss José Peseiro will be confident of a better display this time around should his star attackers click,” the website wrote. “Napoli talisman Osimhen was the leading scorer in qualification, with his 10 goals at least twice as many as any other player (four players had five). Since the last AFCON ended on February 6, 2022, just four players have scored more goals in the big five European leagues than Osimhen’s 42 – Mbappé (65), Kane (63), Haaland (56) and Martínez (47).

“The injury to fellow striker Victor Boniface will place the added onus on Osimhen’s ability to lead Nigeria’s attack. Boniface is undoubtedly a big loss for Peseiro’s side: the Bayer Leverkusen striker has 10 goals and seven assists in 16 Bundesliga appearances this term, with only Leroy Sané (eight) bettering that latter tally. Nice’s Terem Moffi has been called up to replace him.

“Still, the Super Eagles have plenty of dynamism behind that duo, with only nine Premier League players bettering Alex Iwobi’s tally of 13 shot-ending carries for Fulham in 2023-24. Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman should start on the left, and he ranks second in Serie A for open-play goals per 90 this campaign (0.56), behind only Martínez (0.94).

“The Nigerians have an 8.1% chance of lifting the trophy, though they must first navigate a tricky Group A, facing Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau either side of a clash with the hosts on January 18.”

Defending champions Senegal ranked first among the candidates to win the Afcon with a percentage of 12.8%, followed by the host with 12.1%, then Morocco with 11.1%, and Algeria with 9.7%, while Egypt and Nigeria are in fifth and sixth place respectively.

“Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman should start