Will Nigeria Advance out of their Group at AFCON 2019?
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is set to get underway later this summer, and Nigeria have been installed as one of the pre-tournament betting favorites. Most legitimate football betting sites have Nigeria listed alongside teams like Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana and Cameroon as odds-on favorites to win the entire tournament.
Nigeria were drawn into what looks to be a very winnable group. The Super Eagles should have little issue accruing enough points at the expense of Madagascar, Guinea and Burundi, but nothing is certain. Look no further than the last time Nigeria participated in AFCON. The side drew what looked to be a very beatable group that also included Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Zambia.
The Super Eagles ultimately got into the knockout stages, but they were only able to scrape by after collecting 5 points in what looked on paper like an easy set of opponents. Nigeria ultimately got it together and went on to win the entire tournament, but they should know first-hand that the group stage cannot be taken lightly.
Manager Gernot Rohr is confident in his side, but he knows that his team needs to keep its focus in order to avoid a slip-up in the early stages. In a recent interview with ESPN, Rohr said, “It is a tough group and we have to be at our best and our fittest. Guinea has a young, tough team and we will have to be at our best against them. Burundi eliminated Gabon even with their Pierre Aubameyang. Madagascar was the first team to qualify.”
The stand-in captain Ahmed Musa agreed that Nigeria cannot afford to get caught looking ahead to the later stages of the tournament. Musa said, “We have a young team who have played at the World Cup but have not played at the AFCON. For me, we are ready for any country in Egypt. It would be an interesting experience.”
Guinea and Madagascar were in the same group with Nigeria during the 2012 AFCON qualifiers. Nigeria were also heavily favored to advance back then, but they wound up bowing out early. Musa is the lone remaining player that experienced the disappointment back then, and it won’t be soon forgotten.
Nigeria looked like one of the brightest and most threatening attacks at last summer’s World Cup in Russia, but they were ultimately unable to get out of a group that included eventual runners-up Croatia as well as a Lionel Messi-led Argentina side.
A leaky defense was ultimately the Super Eagles’ undoing. The Nigerians allowed one more goal than they scored in Russia, and Argentina were ultimately able to leapfrog them in the group as a result.
Guinea escaped the entire qualification stage without a loss, while Burundi boast the qualifying round’s second-highest goalscorer in Abdul Razak. Razak’s 6 goals ranked second during the qualifying rounds behind Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo. Razak has already bagged 17 goals in his first 37 international appearances for his country.
Nigeria have never failed to advance through the group stage at AFCON, so history is on their side. It also helps that the expanded field for the tournament means that 3 teams that finish third in their groups will still advance to the round of 16.
Still, Nigeria will know that they cannot take the group stage lightly despite the fact that none of their opponents has a rich track record at AFCON. While it is safe to expect the Super Eagles to take care of business and make a deep run in the tournament, nothing is guaranteed with international pride on the line.
