Nigeria are into the AFCON semi-finals, where they will take on rivals South Africa for a spot in the AFCON 2023 Final. This is a match steeped in history – both sides have faced off many times before and will want to do their country proud.
Nigeria come into the match as tournament favourites after a number of big upsets during the last month. They will want to right the wrongs of previous tournaments but face a stern test in South Africa. We spoke to AFCON 1994 winner and Bet9ja Ambassador Victor Ikpeba for his exclusive preview on the upcoming match.
Check out hundreds of markets for the semi-final at Bet9ja!
South Africa are not to be underestimated!
Bafana Bafana’s run through this tournament hasn’t been spectacular, but that doesn’t matter when you get to this point in the tournament. They may not have the most big-name players or hype surrounding them, but if there’s one match that they’ll be able to spring an upset in it’s against their rivals, Nigeria.
They managed to hold Morocco off and win that match 2-0 for one of the biggest shocks in the tournament, but only by the skin of their teeth. Achraf Hakimi missed a penalty that you’d usually expect him to convert, and you’d hope that Nigeria, with the ability of Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman, will be able to make a breakthrough at some point.
Osimhen’s availability is key
We saw reports that Victor Osimhen has been struggling with an injury, which is obviously the worst possible news for Super Eagles fans. Even though he’s not been scoring as much as usual this tournament, he’s been crucial in creating havoc in the other team’s defences and laying on chances for the rest of the team.
Let’s hope this is just precautionary and it looks like it might be!
Goalkeeping excellence
Both Stanley Nwabali and South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams have been exceptional for their teams. Africa has started producing some excellent goalkeepers in the last few years and some of the heroics that these guys have been pulling off have been beyond belief. I still think that they’ll both be well-pushed in this game, which is why I’m predicting a scoreline of 2-1 to Nigeria!
You can use this exclusive booking code to access Victor’s picks for this match – he’s got two of the last three predictions spot on! 66BTYCH
