The Africa Cup of Nations returns with another nerve-racking fixture as two African heavyweight, Nigeria and Tunisia go head to head at the Roumde Adija Stadium for a place in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
This will be the second knockout-stage encounter between the sides in three years after the Super Eagles secured a slender 1-0 victory in last edition’s third-place playoff tie in Egypt and this makes for an exciting watch.
With three wins from their first three games, Nigeria clinched top spot in Group D, and are the only side with a perfect record at the tournament so far.
The 2013 champions head into Sunday’s game unbeaten in their last six across all competitions, with five wins and one draw since a1-0 loss against Central African Republic in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
On the other hand, Tunisia, who barely had any progress at the tournament, head into the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides in the group stages . Tunisia’s struggle for form so far has been because of a lack of sting at the attacking end of the pitch as they have failed to score in three of their last four games.
Looking at past results between Nigeria and Tunisia, we can expect a brutal contest on Sunday as the results have been split right down the middle in the history of this fixture, with both sides claiming six wins apiece, while the spoils have been shared on eight different occasions.
Nigeria Team News
We expect the Super Eagles’ interim manager to name a familiar side on Sunday. Troost-Ekong has been rock solid at the defensive end of the pitch, while we expect to see Porto’s Zaidu Sanusi and former Chelsea full-back Ola Aina on either flank of the defense with new Watford signee Maduka Okoye between the sticks.
Further up the pitch, Joe Aribo has been solid at the center of the park so far and the Rangers midfielder should team up with Leicester City man Wifried Ndidi in the two-man pivot. Simon, who turns out for Nantes in the Ligue 1, has unarguably been the revelation of the tournament so far and the 26-year-old should start in attack, alongside Iheanacho and Awoniyi.
Tunisia Team News
The Tunisian squad had COVID-19 cases ahead of the game against Gambia last time out, with seven plays testing positive for the virus including captain Khazri, who scored two goals in the 4-0 win over Mauritania last Sunday.
If there is no positive news regarding the COVID-19 cases in the Eagles of Carthage camp in time for Sunday’s game, the trio of Aissa Laidouni, Ellyes Skhiri and Anis Ben Slimane will be tasked with winning the midfield battle for the second game running.
Nigeria possible starting lineup
Okoye; Sanusi, Troost-Ekong, Omeruo, Aina; Ndidi, Aribo; Simon, Iheanacho, Chukwueze; Awoniyi
Tunisia possible starting lineup
Said; Mathlouthi, Ifa, Talbi, Abdi; Slimane, Skhiri, Laidouni; Mejbri, Rafia, Jaziri
Prediction: Nigeria 2 – Tunisia 0
Nigeria have stamped their name as genuine title contenders following a near flawless run in the group stages. While going up against Tunisia can be a tricky task for any side, Nigeria possess the quality needed to come out victorious and we are backing them to do just that and continue their charge for the title.
