Preview: Nigeria vs Benin
- Soccer News 2024/09/06 07:52
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Nigeria will be looking for revenge when they take to the pitch on Saturday, having lost the match in June for only the second time in the tournament's history.
The Super Eagles took the lead through Raphael Onyedika three minutes before the half-hour mark, but Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie struck for Benin before the break to turn the game around for the Cheetahs.
The result marked the end of Finidi George's brief reign as head coach, with the former Ajax winger handing in his resignation after the Nigeria Football Federation suggested he take up an assistant role to make way for a new head coach.
After leaving the position vacant for several months, Bruno Labbadia was announced as the new head coach, but it turned out that the NFF had not agreed a contract with the German prior to the announcement, leading to chaos as both parties could not agree on terms.
Augustine Eguavoen was eventually appointed on an interim basis to take charge of the team for the September matches, his third stint with the team.
His first task will be to get the Super Eagles off to a good start in the AFCON qualifiers by helping them to their first win since March, when they went on a three-match winless run that included losses to Mali and Benin and a 1-1 draw with South Africa.
Nigeria finished runners-up at the last edition of the AFCON and have lost just one of their last 12 AFCON qualifiers, a run they will be hoping to continue on Saturday.
Meanwhile, former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr will look to inflict more misery on his old side as he seeks to lead Benin to their first AFCON since 2019.
The Cheetahs have won three, drawn four and lost five of their 12 matches under the German since he took over in February 2023.
However, their first win was overturned by CAF after Rwanda fielded an ineligible player in an AFCON 2023 qualifier against Benin, while their other victories have come in their last two games, signalling an improvement they will hope to maintain when they face the Super Eagles again.
Benin have never won a game on Nigerian soil, losing 2-1 on their only trip there in 2019 for an AFCON qualifier, but the Cheetahs will be more confident than ever going into this encounter given Rohr's familiarity with the Nigerian side and their win last time out.
Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Nwabali; Aina, Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Ndidi, Onyedika, Iwobi; Lookman, Osimhen, Chukwueze
Benin possible starting lineup:
Dandjinou; Moumini, Hountondji, Tijani, Kiki; Dokou, D'Almeida, Imourane; Dossou, Mounie, Olaitan
Prediction:Nigeria 2-0 Benin
Nigeria VS Benin stream and TV listing
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