Nigeria Vs Mozambique: AFCON Round of 16 Match Preview
Nigeria will continue their bid for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title when they face Mozambique in the Round of 16 at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco on Monday night.
The knockout match will be played at the Stade de Fes, with kick-off set for 8:00pm local time. The Super Eagles will be up against a Mozambique side that has reached the AFCON knockout stage for the first time in their history.
Nigeria go into the game in high spirits after an impressive group-stage campaign. Eric Chelle’s side won all three matches in Group A, beating Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda to finish top with nine points.
Their 3–1 win over Uganda in the final group game highlighted Nigeria’s attacking strength and squad depth, as the coach rotated his team without losing momentum. The Super Eagles scored eight goals in the group stage, finding the net at least twice in every match.
The victory over Uganda was Nigeria’s 61st win in AFCON history and ensured a 16th straight appearance in the knockout rounds. A win on Monday would send them into the quarter-finals for the 12th time.
Mozambique, on the other hand, are enjoying a historic tournament. The Mambas reached the knockout stage for the first time after six attempts, recording their first-ever AFCON finals win during the group stage against Gabon.
They narrowly lost 2–1 to Cameroon in their final group match despite taking the lead. Mozambique have never kept a clean sheet at AFCON but have shown improvement going forward, scoring in consecutive matches for the first time in a single tournament.
Nigeria have a strong record against Mozambique, remaining unbeaten in five previous meetings, with four wins and one draw. Their only AFCON meeting ended in a 3–0 victory for the Super Eagles in 2010.
In terms of team news, Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle is expected to recall several key players after rotating his squad in the last group game. Victor Osimhen is set to lead the attack, with Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams likely to return to the starting line-up.
Defenders Bruno Onyemaechi, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey and Bright Osayi-Samuel are also expected to start. However, Nigeria will be without Cyriel Dessers, who has been ruled out with a thigh injury, while Ryan Alebiosu is also sidelined.
Mozambique will miss Diogo Calila and Nene, who are both unavailable due to injury.
With their experience, squad depth and strong attacking form, Nigeria will go into the match as favourites as they look to move one step closer to continental glory.
