Ivory Coast vs Nigeria Prediction: The hosts look to maintain top position.

A struggling Nigeria face the in form Côte d’Ivoire in match day 2 of the Africa Cup of Nations. A win for Côte d’Ivoire will leave Nigeria with a mountain to climb and hopes that results else where go in their favour to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

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Double Chance – Home or Draw 1/4

Côte d’Ivoire come into this game in superb form and playing Infront of their people. The support from local supporters will give them the added boost they need to take down the super eagles who have not been souring high of late. Win probability is 44% in favor of Côte d’Ivoire and 25% in favor of Nigeria with the draw at 31% probability. The data that informs the probability of winning is in favour of the hosts.

To say that the hosts dominated their opening exchange with Guinea-Bissau is an understatement when you look at the matches statistics. They dominated the position with 61% of the ball, they had 10 total shots at goal, 4 of which were on target, 3 were Blocked shots and 3 were off target. They are very proficient on the ball with 9 of their 10 shots coming from inside the box.

Nigeria’s attack is led by Victor Osimhen who is a dynamo in that position. Nigeria did not dominate position; however, they created a lot of chances in-front of goal. 19 chances to be exact with 7 of them being on target, 8 off target, 4 blocked, 7 big chances and 6 of which were missed. Using the data as reference Nigeria plays a counter attacking brand of football and if they were a little more clinical in front of goal, they could have easily won their previous match.

The stage is set, and the battle lines have been drawn from analyzing the data form is on the Ivory Coast’s side. Nigeria creates a lot of chances but are not clinical in front of goal which will cost them in a game like this where we expect Côte d’Ivoire to keep the ball and dominate position. We opted for the double chance, home or draw 1/4 for this match. 

1st Goal – Ivory Coast 39/50

Nigeria have had a problem in their defensive department. They have gone 6 games without keeping a single clean sheet. This has resulted in them failing to register a single win in their last 4 matches. The Ivory coast has been the first team on the score sheet in 6 out of their last 7 matches. To add insult to injury, Nigeria have been the first team to concede a goal in all 6 matches previously mentioned. It does not look like this trend will end anytime soon and if history were to repeat itself, we would see Côte d’Ivoire open the scoring this match. The odds on that happening are set at 39/50.  

1st Half 3 Way – Ivory Coast 39/20

Leading on from the previous paragraph. It is evident that Nigeria is struggling to keep a clean sheet. Côte d’Ivoire on the other hand have developed an ability to score early and take the lead into the half time break. They have accomplished this in 6 out of the last 7 matches. This includes their clash against Guinea-Bissau where they found the back of the net in the first 4 minutes of the match. The odds of them continuing this trend are sitting at 39/20. 

Anytime Goal Scorer – Victor Osimhen 49/20

The Nigerian Star played the full 90 minutes against Equatorial Guinea. He had a total of 6 shots at goal, 2 on target and 4 off target and 1 goal scored. He is always a danger and Côte d’Ivoire will keep a close eye on him. However, I do not believe that his will be enough to deter the Napoli Front Man. The odds on him being anytime goal scorer in this match are sitting at 49/20. His teammates will be looking to him for goals.  

Anytime Goal Scorer – Jean-Philippe Krasso 49/20 

Another play who found the back of the net last time out was Jean-Philippe Krasso. The Red Star Belgrade forward has taken the role of the center forward for Côte d’Ivoire and it is playing off with 1 goal scored in this CAF Africa Cup of Nations campaign so far. In the previous match against Guinea-Bissau, he played 62 minutes, scoring 1 goal from his 4 chances at goal. He was incredibly involved in the Ivory Coast’s play with 28 touches in the match. Victor Osimhen only managed 19 touches the full 90 minutes he played against Equatorial Guinea. If his previous outing is anything to go by, he will be a goal threat. The odds on him finding the back of the net at any time during this match are 49/20