The State of Play
Under the management of Baciro Cande, Guinea-Bissau have already been eliminated from this competition as a result of their head-to-head results. They cannot finish in the top three so will likely make a few changes as they head into this final game as they are still yet to win a match in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria headed into the tournament on the back of some really underwhelming form in the last couple of years after failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They continued that underwhelming form with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea but they did edge past hosts Ivory Coast with a controversial penalty on Thursday afternoon.
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Team News
As mentioned, Guinea-Bissau are expected to make a few changes for this final group stage encounter as it doesn’t necessarily matter what the result is but they will want to come away with some pride. Bolton Wanderers midfielder Carlos Mendes Gomes is expected to come into the starting line-up.
Jose Peseiro has hinted he could make some tweaks to the style of football that Nigeria played against Ivory Coast the other day but The Super Eagles did appear to be a lot more well suited to the back three system.
Expected Line-ups
Guinea-Bissau: Djoco; Encada, Djalo, S. Mane, Cande; Semedo, Bikel; Rodrigues, Mendes Gomes, Balde; Dju
Nigeria: Nwabali; Ajayi, Troost-Ekong, Bassey; Aina, Onyeka, Iwobi, Sanusi; Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman
What they Said
Baciro Cande has not given up hope just yet and he has said ‘we have one game left to close the group and we hope to win.’ He said his side will ‘fight hard’ to defeat the Nigerians.
Jose Peseiro has suggested he may tweak his style for this game. He said ‘we used a style that worked’ against Ivory Coast but has said: “For the next match we have to control the game, try to be less timid and not give possession to the opponent.”
When and How to Watch
The game at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium will kick off at 20:00 on Saturday January 13th and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to Sky Sports can alternately stream the game online via the ‘Sky Go’ app.
Prediction
Guinea-Bissau are arguably the weakest team in the competition and they will likely simply be hoping to get this fairly miserable tournament over and done with. They face a Nigerian side that have been generally underwhelming in victory so Nigeria are the firm favourites for this one but it is still expected to be a low-scoring encounter even if The Super Eagles can get out on top as they challenge to win Group A.