Nigeria vs Sierra Leone.
Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau were all at the 2021 Afcon in Cameroon, but all three have been placed in Group A alongside Sao Tome and Principe.
Training! #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/RiSu8Fq5Ce
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) June 8, 2022
Nigeria kick off their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign when they play host to Sierra Leone at the Abuja National Stadium on Thursday.
After a disappointing campaign in Cameron, the Super Eagles begin fresh qualification quest for third consecutive appearance in the biennial continental cup taking place in Cote d’Ivoire next year.
The Super Eagles are currently on a five-game winless– losing three and drawing two, including friendly defeats to Mexico and Ecuador in the United States, While the visitors head into this game with two-match winning streak, and AFCON-boost having held both Ivory Coast, and Algeria to stalemate, whilst finishing ahead of the latter.
Team News
Head coach Jose Peseiro had several key players unavailable against Mexico and Ecuador but has welcomed a few more crucial stars ahead of this encounter.
List of invited players for #TotalEnergiesAFCONQ2023 vs #SierraLeone & #SaoTome #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/stu7X9Y80K
— The NFF 🇳🇬 (@thenff) June 4, 2022
The arrival of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Stoke City’s Oghenekaro Etebo, Porto’s Zaidu Sanusi, and team captain Ahmed Musa will add more depth to the squad but Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi are still unavailable.
There’s no doubt in the Leone Stars’ Camp, with 25 players named to lead them to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2023, including the likes of Queens Park Rangers’ Osman Kakay, Tottenham midfielder Kallum Cesay and goalkeeper Mohammed Kamara who held Algeria to a goalless draw at AFCON.
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone Predicted Lineups:
Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Uzoho; Aina, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Sanusi; Aribo, Etebo; Lookman, Iwobi, Simon; Osimhen
Sierra Leone possible starting lineup:
Kamara; Kakay, Sesay, Caulker, Wright; Conteh, Cesay, Quee; Turay, Kamara, Kaikai
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone Time and Venue:
Thursday 9th, 5pm kick-off at Abuja National Stadium, Abuja.
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone Head-to-Head
Nigeria boast a superior record in the history of this fixture with nine wins, albeit drawing five and loosing twice in the last 16 meetings between the sides.
However, the last two matches between the sides have ended in stalemate after a thrilling 4-4 draw in the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin before managing a stalemate in Freetown in November 2020.
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone Prediction.
Nigeria will be looking to restore some pride as they return home where they saw their World Cup qualification dreams come to an end back in March.
However, they face a tricky opponent like Sierra Leone- who forced Nigeria to stalemates in each of the last two matches the two teams contested- and without support from their fans due to one-game penalty.
But, expectations are always high for the super Eagles and with the arrays of talents at their disposal, we are backing the Super Eagles to come away with all three points on home ground.