Nigeria begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a match against Equatorial Guinea today.
The Super Eagles, fresh off missing out on a place at the World Cup, have finished third (eight times) and second (four times) more often than they have won AFCON (three times, last in 2013) - a tournament which they enter as one of the continent's superpowers.
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Victor Osimhen will lead their efforts in Ivory Coast as part of a star-studded squad packed with players plying their trade in Europe's biggest leagues.
However, Jose Peseiro has overseen a poor run of form of late including draws with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in World Cup qualifying and a friendly defeat to Guinea to prepare for AFCON, while Nigeria's cause also isn't helped by injuries.
Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, have managed to qualify out of their group on all three previous trips to AFCON, reaching the quarter-finals twice.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea is scheduled for a 2pm GMT kick-off today on Sunday January 14, 2024.
The match will take place at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Where to watch Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea
TV channel: In the UK, today's game will be televised live on Sky Sports Mix and the Sky Sports Red Button, with coverage beginning at 1:55pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the match live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action this afternoon via Standard Sport’s live match blog.
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea team news
Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury, however Nigeria will have Osimhen, captain Ahmed Musa and AC Milan's Samuel Chukwueze among their plethora of options in attack.
Osimhen and Alex Iwobi were named on the bench in the friendly defeat to Guinea, but both should start in Abidjan while Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka and Fulham's Calvin Bassey should also be key players.
Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is absent through injury whereas club team-mate Kelechi Iheanacho is a doubt.
Nigeria are also missing the likes of Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi and Real Sociedad striker Umar Sadiq, with Southampton's Paul Onuachu drafted into the squad late this week.
Equatorial Guinea will be led by captain and striker Emilio Nsue, formerly of Middlesbrough and Birmingham, while young Huddersfield defender Charles Ondo is their sole British-based call-up to AFCON.
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea prediction
The Super Eagles may not always make things easy for themselves but can make a statement in a group which features hosts Ivory Coast.
Nigeria to win, 3-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The Super Eagles have a 100 per cent record in this fixture.
Nigeria wins: 3
Equatorial Guinea wins: 0
Draws: 0
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea match odds
Nigeria to win: 4/9
Equatorial Guinea to win: 15/2
Draw: 27/10
