2021 AFCON Preview Group D: In-form Nigeria battle Sudan for early R16 ticket

Published on: 14 January 2022
2021 AFCON Preview Group D: In-form Nigeria battle Sudan for early R16 ticket
Kenneth Omeruo

Fresh off the back of a hard-earned victory over fellow group favourites Egypt, Nigeria take on Sudan at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.

While victory for the Super Eagles will almost certainly secure their spot in the knockout stages, the Falcons of Jediane will look to avoid more dropped points after playing out a bore draw with Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.

Nigeria got their Africa Cup of Nations campaign off to a fine start as they claimed a 1-0 victory over Egypt in their Group D curtain-raiser on Tuesday.

In a game where Mohamed Salah was shut out by the Super Eagles' rigid defence, it was Leicester City man Kelechi Iheanacho who stole the headlines as he scored the only goal of the game on the half-hour mark.

Nigeria, who are seeking their fourth title on the continental stage, are now unbeaten in all but one of their last seven games in all competitions, claiming five wins and one draw in that time.

This impressive run also saw Augustine Eguavoen's men secure smooth passage into the playoffs of the 2022 World Cup after finishing top of Group C in the qualifiers, two points ahead of runners-up Cape Verde.

Following their opening-day win over the Pharaohs, Nigeria currently sit at the summit of Group D and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling as they aim to surpass their third-placed finish in Egypt three years ago.

Meanwhile, Sudan will be somewhat delighted by their start to the tournament as they held Guinea-Bissau to a goalless draw at the Roumde Adjia Stadium on Tuesday.

In a game where clear-cut chances were at a premium, Guinea-Bissau were given a glorious opportunity to take the lead in the 82nd minute after winning a penalty, but goalkeeper Ali Abdullah Abou did brilliantly to deny Monaco midfielder Pele.

While manager Burhan Tia will be impressed by the result, the 57-year-old will be concerned with his side's lack of firepower up top as they have now failed to score in six consecutive games since October's 2-2 draw with Guinea.

Sudan head into Saturday's game on an 11-game winless streak, losing seven and claiming four draws, and this poor string of results saw them miss out on a place in the playoffs of the World Cup and also crash out of the Arab Cup in the group stages back in December.

While they will look to find their feet and get their AFCON campaign up and running, standing in their way is an opposing side who they have lost to in each of their last two encounters since a 1-0 victory back in 2014.

Nigeria possible starting lineup: Okoye; Aina, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Sanusi; Aribo, Ndidi; Chukweze, Iheanacho, Simon; Awoniyi

Sudan possible starting lineup: Abou; Elfadni, Nemer, Karshoum, Mohamedein; G Omer, Khidir, Al-Rasheed, A Omer; Nooh, Abdelrahman

TXT: Sportsmole

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more