Analysis
The first round of matches in Group C ended as it started with no team ahead of the other. Zambia and Nigeria both failed to protect 1-0 leads against less important sides – Ethiopia and Burkina Faso respectively.
Friday’s fixture will be like a final for the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo. The smallest difference could play a huge role in defining the fate of these two giants. Africa Cup of Nations winning coach Herve Renard has a huge problem to solve as his men have not won a single match since November 2012.
Zambia’s record in their last six matches reads three losses followed by three draws. They have also scored only twice during this torrid period. Defending the AFCON crown is a hard task which requires getting out of the group stages in the first place.
Nigeria will be looking to extend their unbeaten record to 10 matches. They might need to keep the ball low and improve in every areas of their game. In their opening fixture, Stephen Keshi’s team gathered 55 per cent of ball possession but hardly made the most of it with 22 fouls, seven shots wide and four offside calls.
The time is now for Group C’s pre-tournament favourites to step up their game before underdogs Ethiopia and Burkina Faso overshadow them completely.
Zambia vs Nigeria – Match officials
Referee: Ghead Grisha (Egypt)
Assistants: Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon); Anouar Hmila (Tunisia)
Fourth official: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)
Group C as of January 22, 2013
| AFRICA CUP: GROUP C 2014 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 1 | |
| 3 | Nigeria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 1 | |
| 4 | Zambia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 1 | |
Prediction
Zambia 1-2 Nigeria
