African Cup of Nations Group D gets underway this afternoon as Nigeria meet Egypt at the Roumde Adjia Stadium.
In arguably one of the biggest games of the whole group stage section of the tournament, both teams will be looking for a vital win to get the ball rolling in the competition.
The main story and all eyes will be on and around Mohammed Salah, who will be looking to lead his national team to an eighth AFCON triumph.
But tough opponents in Nigeria await them who themselves have won the tournament on three occasions most recently in 2013.
Team News:
Nigeria will certainly be looking to the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho this tournament. This is down to the absence of Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis in the attacking department, who won’t be available to manager Augustine Eguavoen.
Rangers defender Leon Balogun is another absentee who was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
The Super Eagles hold a strong contingent of Premier League players including the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, William Troost-Ekong and Alex Iwobi who all may well feature today.
Egypt head into the tournament fairly unscathed and manager Carlos Querioz has a fairly full squad to choose from. The key player of course is Mohammed Salah and he is fit and raring to go as he is aiming to win the AFCON for the first time in his career.
They will however be without defender Mohamed Hamdi who only made his debut back in September. The 26 year old misses out through a knee injury.
COVID-19 has also struck down a small amount of the Egypt squad, but those who have been infected should be available to play some part of the group stage.
Head-to-Head:
This afternoons meeting between the two sides will mark the 20th occasion in which Egypt and Nigeria have locked horns.
It’s the Super Eagles who currently hold the upper hand in the head to head, winning eight of the contests compared to six for Egypt.
The last meeting between the two sides came back in March 2019, as Genk striker Paul Onuachu’s early goal gave Nigeria the victory.
Recent Form:
Egypt:
04/12/21 – Sudan 0-5 Egypt
07/12/21 – Algeria 1-1 Egypt
11/12/21 – Egypt 3-1 Jordan (AET)
15/12/21 – Tunisia 1-0 Egypt
18/12/21 – Egypt 0-0 Qatar (Lost on penalties)
Our Football Editors @_CameronSmith10 and @JamesWill_Sport give us the lowdown on what’s to come from AFCON today ⚽️🏆 #AFCON2022 #theegyptianking pic.twitter.com/0ehXdiqxyB
— Park Life Sport (@ParkLife_Sport) January 11, 2022
Nigeria:
07/09/21- Cape Verde 1-2 Nigeria
07/10/21 – Nigeria 0-1 Central African Republic
10/10/21 – Central African Republic 0-2 Nigeria
13/11/21 – Liberia 0-2 Nigeria
16/11/21 – Nigeria 1-1 Cape Verde
PARK LIFE SPORT LIVE BLOG: STAY UP TO DATE HERE
Reporters Predictions:
Harry R – 1-0 Egypt:
Very much looking forward to this massive encounter. For me I think Egypt will sneak a win. 1-0 with a Mohammed Salah Goal.
Rory – 2-0 Nigeria:
Its set to be a great game one of the biggest in the tournament. I think Nigeria have an all-round better team and I think they’ll win 2-0.
James – 1-0 Nigeria:
In such a massive game so early on in the tournament, I cant see there being many goals. I see Nigeria taking the vital three points. A 1-0 win in a very tight contest.
Harry T – 2-0 Nigeria:
I think it’s a case of Salah vs Nigeria, and I don’t think Salah is enough to defeat the Super Eagles. For me it’s a Nigeria win. 2-0.
