Nigeria vs Benin preview

Posted on | January 28, 2008 | No Comments

Nigeria’s Eagles have to win and hope that Ivory Coast do them a favour when they meet Benin in Sekondi.

Nigeria have had a disappointing tournament, and the Berti Vogts coached team are strong contenders for being the next big team to fly out of Ghana after Morocco. A 0-1 loss to the Ivory Coast was followed by a goalless draw against Mali. For all their attacking prowess, Nigeria are the only team other than Sudan not to have found the back of the net. While that could be expected of Sudan, the same could not be said of Nigeria, who were tournament favourites in the eyes of some people. The last time Nigeria went out at this stage of the tournament was in 1982, when a last day 0-3 defeat to Zambia saw them finish third in the group. It is still not clear whether Kanu is fit or not. Seyi Olofinjana is suspended, while Obafemi Martins is on a yellow. While Nigeria have tried, they have simply not been able to find the back of the net. It has not helped that the likes of Martins, Makinwa and Yakubu are not on the top of their game.

Benin were largely expected to fill up the numbers in Group B. Yet Reinhard Fabisch’s side can walk out of the tournament with their heads held high if they beat Nigeria, and by virtue of that result, finish ahead of the Super Eagles. They are already out of contention for the knockout stage, but many people will watch this game. The Squirrels have scored only once in this tournament, through Swedish based striker Razak Omotoyossi. Their performance was poor against Ivory Coast, with their defence conceding four. Defenders Damien Chrystosome, Khaled Adenonm Alain Gaspoz and midfielder Stephane Sessegnon are on yellows, although given the nature of this game, it should not stop Fabisch from fielding them.

Nigeria need to win this, and hope that Ivory Coast beat Mali. With the Elephants missing Kalou and Toure and likely to rest several stars, Nigeria will not be feeling very optimistic. But they need to do their job, and should win this by two goals. If Ivory Coast lose, they will end up playing Ghana and Gerard Gili won’t want that. Wins for Ivory Coast and Nigeria will see Berti Vogts’ side progress to meet Ghana in the quarterfinals.

Related posts:

1. Nigeria vs Benin preview
2. Nigeria vs Mali preview
3. Nigeria vs Ivory Coast preview
4. Ivory Coast vs Benin preview
5. Ivory Coast vs Mali preview

Comments