Nigeria is set to face Tunisia on Sunday, January 23, 2022, at 8 p.m. in the AFCON 2021 Round of 16 fixtures.
Nigeria might have been off to a flying start in the AFCON 2021 tournament in Cameroon so far. After finishing top of Group D with 9 points, they take on a new challenge in Tunisia, who finished 3rd in Group F. Although the odds in this fixture may be stacked in favor of Nigeria’s super eagles, Tunisia’s tournament experience cannot be overlooked.
AFCON Team News:
Nigeria
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have a compact and well-rested squad ahead of the fixture. Nigeria’s Interim Manager, Austin Eguavoen, in his pre-match conference, mentioned the fact that even though Tunisia is having a rough patch at the moment, the Super Eagles still have to be prepared and also be cautious in the game to avoid making mistakes that could cost them the game.
With no injury cases recorded in the Super Eagles squad, Nigeria is expected to field against Tunisia the same starting line-up in their first game of AFCON 2021
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Tunisia
With the news of COVID-19 cases in the camp of Tunisia, although not confirmed, the team might miss key players alongside their coach in the fixture today. In his pre-match interview, however, the assistant coach, Jalel Qadri, remarked that regardless of these conditions, they would be ready to defy all odds and fight till the finish.
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AFCON Head-to-head
Previous records in the African Cup of Nations between the sides have tipped the scales in favour of Nigeria to get a win in this round of 16 fixture. Nigeria has completed 4 wins in the last 5 meetings in the tournament, only losing to Tunisia once on penalties.
The first win came in 1978, when Tunisia protested against the 1-1 draw played in the fixture on the ground of bad officiating. This led CAF to rule in favor of Nigeria and hand the Super Eagles a 2-0 victory over the team.
The two eagles met again in AFCON 2000 in the group stages, and Nigeria secured a 4-2 victory over Tunisia.
On penalties, Tunisia handed Nigeria their first defeat in their head to head at AFCON 2004. The team won 5-3.
AFCON 2006 saw Nigeria defeat Tunisia on penalties by 6-5 in the Quarterfinals.
The last win came in AFCON 2019 when Nigeria beat Tunisia 1-0 to clinch the 3rd place finish in the competition.
Personal Take
This is a game that would feature two powerhouses in African football. The African Cup of Nations tournament has been won by Nigeria 3 times, shadowing Tunisia’s 1 time. The Super Eagles of Nigeria must get ready for a tough fixture against a Tunisia side that has so much to prove.
Nigeria vs. Tunisia AFCON 2021 fixture is highly anticipated and expected to be entertaining, but it is important to brace ourselves for the fact that this might not be the case.
It is expected that Tunisia will choose to sit in deep today and break on the counter, or even stall the fixture to penalties. This would be a test of how strong the mentality of the super eagles is and how long they can withstand the urge to get frustrated.
This is a game that can change based on who gets the first goal, but we expect the super eagles to soar and fly high.
