Nigeria – Ivory Coast Prediction for the final match by fans
Tomorrow, on Sunday, February 11th, the final match of the African Cup of Nations will take place. Competing for the championship title will be one of the tournament favorites - Nigeria, and the hosts - Ivory Coast.
Both teams have traversed a rather challenging path to reach the final, but what's particularly intriguing is that they began their journey in the same group, Group A.
During the group stage, Nigeria won twice and drew once with Equatorial Guinea (1:1). They subsequently secured victories against Cameroon (1:0) and Angola (2:0), and in the semifinals, they proved stronger than South Africa (2:1). Remarkably, throughout the entire final phase of the tournament, the Nigerian national team conceded only twice.
For Ivory Coast, the path to the final was more arduous. The team finished third in the group, securing only one victory against Guinea-Bissau (1:0) in the opening match of the African Cup of Nations and suffered two defeats. However, this was sufficient for the tournament hosts to progress from the group in third place, entering the top four teams among the third-placed finishers, despite technically finishing fourth. In the playoff stage, Ivory Coast sensationally defeated Senegal in the round of 16 (2:1), followed by victories over Mali (2:1) and then DR Congo (1:0).
The match will take place tomorrow, February 11th, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, better known as the National Stadium of Ivory Coast, with kickoff scheduled for 21:00 Central European Time. We have prepared information for you on where you can watch this match in your country.
Opinions on the potential outcome of the match are significantly divided across social media. Some are confident in Nigeria's victory, considering Ivory Coast to have already exceeded expectations in the tournament. However, there are also users who believe in a sensation from the tournament hosts.
There are fans who anticipate a resounding 4-1 victory for Victor Osimhen's team.
And there are even those who predict an even more emphatic scoreline.
Across social media platforms, users draw parallels between Ivory Coast and Manchester United and Chelsea.
Additionally, some users recall the final of the 2004 UEFA European Championship, which took place in Portugal, where the tournament hosts also reached the final but sensationally lost to Greece, drawing parallels with the current final.
There are also supporters who prophesy Nigeria's victory and the trophy returning to them after an eleven-year hiatus.
Each of you can make your own assumptions about the outcome of the match, but two Dailysports experts have already made their predictions for this match, which we invite you to familiarize yourself with.