We have a Nigeria v Ivory Coast prediction and breakdown of the betting odds, team news plus matchups for the African Cup of Nations Final.
Nigeria are looking to win their fourth AFCON title on Sunday, following successes in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
Tournament hosts Ivory Coast on the other hand will be looking to win their third ever AFCON title following successes in 1992 and 2015.
How To Watch Nigeria v Ivory Coast
When is Nigeria v Ivory Coast?
Nigeria v Ivory Coast will take place Saturday at 8.00 pm in the African Cup of Nations Final.
TV Channel
Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event and BBC Sport
Where is Nigeria v Ivory Coast Being Played?
Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan
Nigeria v Ivory Coast Odds
| West Ham v Arsenal Betting Odds - Premier League | ||
| Team | Odds | Chance |
| Nigeria | 13/8 | 38.1% |
| Ivory Coast | 21/10 | 32.3% |
| The Draw | 17/10 | 37% |
Nigeria are priced at 13/8 0 to land the spoils on Sunday.
Tournament hosts Ivory Coast closely follow them in the betting priced at 21/10
The draw in 90 minutes is seen as 17/10 chance.
Handicap Betting
Nigeria: -1 @ 5/1
Ivory Coast +1 @ 4/9
Handicap Draw -1 @ 14/5
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Nigeria v Ivory Coast Weather Forecast
The weather Saturday evening is expected to be 33 degrees with no rain
Nigeria v Ivory Coast Preview
Nigeria’s Form
Nigeria were initially drawn in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau. They'd draw their opening game 1-1 against Equatorial Guinea 1-1 before beating Ivory Coast 0-1 and Guinea Bissau 0-1 to finish the Group as runner-up to Equatorial Guinea on goal difference.
Nigeria then overcame Cameroon 2-0 in the Round of 16 stage to qualify for a Quarter-Final tie against Angola. Lookman scored his third goal of the tournament against Angola to secure a 1-0 victory.
Nigeria finally booked their place in the final following a dramatic clash against South Africa. Taking the lead in the 67th minute through a Troost Ekong penalty, their opponents took the game to Extra Time after a Victor Osiminen goal was denied by VAR for South Africa to be given a penalty in the 90th minute which was duly dispatched by Mokoena. After a tense period of Extra Time, Nigeria eventually overcame their opposition 4-2 on penalties.
Nigeria’s Last Five Results
Nigeria 1-1 South Africa (4-2 Penalties) | February 7th| Draw
Nigeria1-0 Angola | February 2nd | Win
Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon | January 27th | Win
Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Norwich | January 22nd | Win
Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria | January 18th | Win
4 Wins 1 Draw
Ivory Coast’s Form
Ivory Coast were initially drawn in Group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Guinea Bissau. They'd win their opening game 2-0 against Guinea Bissau before losses to Nigeria 0-1 and Equatorial Guinea 4-0.
However, they qualified for the next stage as one of the best-ranked third-place sides. Ivory Coast drew 1-1 with Senegal before beating them 4-5 on penalties at the Round of 16 stages to qualify for the Quarter-Final against Mali where they again did it the hard way eventually overcoming them 1-2 AET following a dramatic 90th minute equaliser.
Ivory Coast booked their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over DR Congo through a goal from Haller.
Ivory Coast’s Last Five Results
Ivory Coast 1-0 DR Congo | February 7th | Win
Mali 1-1 Ivory Coast (AET 1-2) | February 3rd | Draw
Senegal 1-1 Ivory Coast (4-5 penalties) | January 29th | Draw
Equatorial Guinea 4-0 Ivory Coast | January 22nd | Loss
Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria | January 18th | Loss
2 Draws, 2 Losses and 1 Win
Nigeria v Ivory Coast Predicted Lineups
Nigeria Predicted Starting XI (3-4-3)
GK: Nwaballi.
CB: Ayai, CB: Troost-Ekong, CB: Bassey
RM: Osayi-Samuel, CM Onyeka, CM; Iwobi, LM: Aina
RW: Simon, CF: Osimhen, LW: Lookman
Ivory Coast’s Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3)
GK: Fofana
RB: Singo, CB: Boly, CB: Ndicka, LB: Konan.
RCM: Kessié, CM: Seri; LCM: Fofana,
RW: Gradel, CF: Haller; LW Adingra
Nigeria v Ivory Coast Head-To-Head Results & Stats
All-Time Head-To-Head Record
Nigeria wins: 9
Ivory Coast wins: 9
Draws: 10
Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches
Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria | Africa Cup of Nations| January 18th, 2024
Nigeria 0-1 Ivory Coast | International Friendly | January 11th, 2015
Ivory Coast 2-0 Nigeria | African Nations Championship | July 27th, 2013
Nigeria 4-1 Ivory Coast | African Nations Championship | July 6th, 2013
Ivory Coast 1-2 Nigeria | Africa Cup of Nations| February 3rd, 2013
Betting Trends
Goals
Coming in the game between both teams there has been an average of Goals Per Match in the competition which is more than the average of 2.32.
Across the sides matches 70% have Over 1.5 Goals, 30% have Over 2.5 Goals and 45% have had BTTS.
Cards
Between both sides, they average 3.24 Cards Per Match, which is lower than the competition average of 3.66.
Corners
The sides average 10.78 Corners per match between them which is more than the competition average of 10.66
Scoring Patterns
Nigeria’s busiest period comes in both between the 31st and 45th minute of matches and the 76th to 90th minutes with both periods factoring for 46% of the goals in their games.
Ivory Coast interestingly busiest periods come in the last 30 minutes of games with 46% of the goals in their matches coming then.
This means the final could be set up for a rip-roaring end to decide the winner of the game.
Key Players To Watch
Victor Osimhen - Nigeria
The "World Class" Napoli frontman for his country has 21 goals from 32 appearances for his country including 1 in the Group Stage in their opening game of the tournament.
While he has only 1 goal in the tournament so far, he can be considered unlucky to have had his goal chalked off against South Africa. He very well could still end up being the match-winner in the final
Sebastian Haller- Ivory Coast
What a story it has been for Haller!, the former West Ham and Ajax striker was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 but eventually overcame it and returned to professional football in January 2023.
Now with Dortmund, he has struggled with an Ankle Injury and so from 14 games, 450 minutes he has 2 goals this season. Haller scored his first goal of the tournament in their 1-0 Semi-Final victory against DR Congo and he could be their go-to man here again.
Nigeria v Ivory Coast Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: Nigeria 2-0 Ivory Coast
Nigeria come into this game as the very marginal favourites and despite their Semi-Final scare, they’ve been the team of the tournament so far going unbeaten throughout including a victory against fellow finalists Ivory Coast 0-1 in the Group Stage.
Tournament hosts Ivory Coast have ridden their luck throughout the tournament, but to their credit have found a way to get through consistently at the crucial moments which should not be ignored.
In terms of pure quality, there doesn’t seem to be much between the squads (as shown by the betting) and Ivory Coast does effectively have a home advantage. However, I still believe Nigeria to be the overall better side and they should have a comfortable win here I think.
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*Prices subject to fluctuation
