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2023 Africa Cup of Nations
Group A
Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria
Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Monday, 22 January 2024
Kick-off is at 18h00
Nigeria will look to secure top spot in Group A when they take on Guinea-Bissau in match 26 of the
2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Monday, January 22.
The Super Eagles picked up their first win in the tournament as they beat hosts Ivory Coast 1-0 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on January 18 to move up to second place in the group.
Jose Peseiro's side had kicked off their title challenge with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea four days earlier and they are tied with the National Thunder on four points.
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The Djurtus have yet to collect a single point after suffering back-to-back defeats against the Elephants and Equatorial Guinea.
Their clash with the National Thunder on January 18 was done and dusted by the hour mark thanks to a hat-trick from Emilio Nsue (21', 51' 61') which sealed a 4-2 win.
Baciro Cande's side were eliminated as a result and they will be playing for pride in a bid to snap an 11-game winless streak at the African spectacle.
Much was expected of Victor Osimhen in Ivory Coast, but the 2023 African Footballer of the Year has yet to get going. He did win the penalty that William Troost-Ekong converted in the 55th minute to clinch victory against the Elephants and will be searching for his first AFCON goal in the encounter with Guinea-Bissau.
Ze Turbo could earn his first start for the Djurtus after making four substitute appearances. The Nizhny Novgorod striker was given 15 minutes against Ivory Coast and made an impact from the bench in the loss to Equatorial Guinea, scoring from close range in the 93rd minute to register his first international goal.
Peseiro insists his players have a lot of work to do if they want to win a fourth title after pointing to their poor ball retention against the Ivorians.
"For the next match we have to control the game, try to be less timid and not give possession to the opponent," the Portuguese tactician said.
"I told my players not to savour the victory. We have four days left before the next match. From day one I told them: 'you must win the AFCON'."
Cande is adamant that Guinea-Bissau will be playing to win against their West African rivals, although he admits the players need to take their chances.
"I feel sad. We wanted to win this match but we did not succeed," he said. "Before their first goal, we had four chances to score plus the penalty that was refused.
"We worked hard to be ready for this game. Football is sometimes like that. We have one game left to close the group stage and we hope to win."
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 3
Guinea-Bissau wins - 1
Nigeria wins - 2
Draws - 0
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