This Friday, in a crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier, Nigeria will face Libya in Abuja. Here's a match preview from the experts at Dailysports.
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Nigeria
The "Super Eagles" are widely recognized as one of the top African teams, a status they confirmed at the last Africa Cup of Nations. After finishing second in their group, Nigeria shone in the knockout rounds, defeating Cameroon (2-0) and Angola (1-0), and overcoming South Africa in the semifinals via a penalty shootout, earning their place in the final. Although they took an early lead in the final, Nigeria allowed Côte d'Ivoire to score twice, ultimately falling short.
Unfortunately, Nigeria's World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign has been a disaster so far. With just three points from four matches and no victories, they are teetering on the edge of elimination.
In contrast, Nigeria has started strong in their African Cup of Nations qualifiers, defeating Benin 3-0 at home. However, in their second match, they were held to a goalless draw away to Rwanda.
Libya
The Libyan national team has shown significant improvement recently, earning a legitimate chance to qualify for the 2025 African Cup of Nations. In their World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Libya has collected seven points from four matches and currently sits second in Group D.
Libya began the qualification campaign confidently, securing wins over Eswatini and Mauritius, while also drawing with Cameroon at home. However, in their most recent outing, they narrowly lost to Cape Verde (0-1).
In the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, Libya’s performance has been underwhelming. In their opening match, they drew 1-1 at home against Rwanda, followed by a 2-1 defeat away to Benin.
Match Facts
- Nigeria has won just one of their last five matches.
- Both teams have scored in two of Nigeria's last five matches.
- Only one of Libya's last four matches has seen over 2.5 goals.
H2H
Nigeria has faced Libya four times, winning all four encounters and keeping a clean sheet in three of those matches.
Probable Lineups
- Nigeria: Nwabali, Ajayi, Troost-Ekong, Bassey, Aina, Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru, Onyiemaechi, Chukwueze, Lookman, Boniface
- Libya: Al Wuheeshi, Bin Ali, Al Musrati, Artiba, Al Dhawi, Saad, Al Shremi, Al Badri, Shafshuf, Al Kulaib, Ekrava
Prediction
Nigeria is the clear favorite, but with odds of just 1.32 for a home win, there's little value in that bet. Instead, we recommend betting on "Total Under 2.5" goals at 1.70 odds.