Ivory Coast vs Nigeria Prediction and Betting Tips: Osimhen to find the net in Group A meeting
Hot off a win in the AFCON opener, Ivory Coast look to make it two from two when they compete against Nigeria in Thursday's spate of second group stage fixtures at 5pm BST.
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Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso ensured all three points were claimed against Guinea-Bissau last Saturday. They are the only team to hold three points in Group A after the first round of fixtures and will seek to post a third consecutive victory in head-to-heads with Thursday's opponents.
Nigeria were unable to find a winner in their opening clash with Equatorial Guinea following Victor Osimhen's first half equaliser. A conveyerbelt of star-studded talent plying their trade across the upper echelons of European football could not breach the oppositional goal for a second time, meaning they've now gone five games since scoring more than one goal in 90 minutes.
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria Tips
Considering how these two at ranked so closely according to FIFA's system - Nigeria 42nd in the world and Ivory Coast 49th - we are amazed to see 7/10 the price for BTTS - No. We'll be taking the opposite outcome with both teams finding the net at least once at 11/8.
Nigeria have scored in eight of their last nine matches stretching back to March 2023, racking up over 10 more shots than their last opponents and creating much the better chances in that contest. Half of Cote d'Ivoire's last six matches have seen both teams notch, with Guinea-Bissau able to count themselves unfortunate to not bag in their meeting at this competition given how largely equal the stats were.
The Super Eagles' powerhouse striker has been a hit for both club and country, sparking updated transfer rumours of a switch to the Premier League. He's netted eight in 18 for Napoli this campaign despite injuries and family difficulties stalling a smooth run. For Nigeria, Osimhen has 21 goals in 29 caps, putting one away in Nigeria's AFCON opener.
With six goals in his last four outings in green and white, odds of 16/5 for him to breach an Ivory Coast defence that conceded goals to Uganda, Comoros, Zambia, South Africa and Sierra Leone in 2023 - all sides lower in the FIFA rankings than Nigeria.
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