Nigeria to Face Historic Underdog Test Against Mozambique in AFCON Knockouts.
The Super Eagles will look to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face a historic underdog opponent, Mozambique, at the Fez Stadium in Morocco on Monday night. Nigeria, led by coach Eric Chelle, is looking to build on their impressive form in the group stage and make it to the final.
Despite losing to Cameroon after dominating for most of the match last week, Nigeria boasts an incredibly talented squad featuring forwards Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, and Alex Iwobi, midfielders Raphael Onyedika, who scored a crucial goal against Uganda, Wilfred Ndidi, and midfielder Iwobi.
However, their progress could be severely hampered if they fail to shore up their leaky defense. With only eight clean sheets in 18 matches, Nigeria has struggled to keep opponents at bay throughout the tournament.
On the other hand, Mozambique advanced as one of the four best third-placed sides and is making its first appearance in AFCON's knockout stages after a historic qualification over Gabon. The underdogs are yet to keep a clean sheet at AFCON, but they boast impressive squad depth.
Mozambique has lost two games but won one against Gabon in their group stage campaign, which marked their 40-year wait for an AFCON victory. This has propelled them into the knockout rounds and set them up as a historic dark horse.
The winner of Nigeria vs Mozambique will face the winner of the Algeria and Democratic Republic of Congo match on January 10th in Marrakesh.
Mozambique, who are ranked 102nd in the world, have struggled to overcome their smaller opponents in previous matches. However, they possess the potential to upset Nigeria if they can manage to contain the Super Eagles' attacking threats.
Nigeria and Mozambique will meet for a second time at AFCON on Monday night, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals after beating Algeria's rivals last week.
The Super Eagles will look to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face a historic underdog opponent, Mozambique, at the Fez Stadium in Morocco on Monday night. Nigeria, led by coach Eric Chelle, is looking to build on their impressive form in the group stage and make it to the final.
Despite losing to Cameroon after dominating for most of the match last week, Nigeria boasts an incredibly talented squad featuring forwards Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, and Alex Iwobi, midfielders Raphael Onyedika, who scored a crucial goal against Uganda, Wilfred Ndidi, and midfielder Iwobi.
However, their progress could be severely hampered if they fail to shore up their leaky defense. With only eight clean sheets in 18 matches, Nigeria has struggled to keep opponents at bay throughout the tournament.
On the other hand, Mozambique advanced as one of the four best third-placed sides and is making its first appearance in AFCON's knockout stages after a historic qualification over Gabon. The underdogs are yet to keep a clean sheet at AFCON, but they boast impressive squad depth.
Mozambique has lost two games but won one against Gabon in their group stage campaign, which marked their 40-year wait for an AFCON victory. This has propelled them into the knockout rounds and set them up as a historic dark horse.
The winner of Nigeria vs Mozambique will face the winner of the Algeria and Democratic Republic of Congo match on January 10th in Marrakesh.
Mozambique, who are ranked 102nd in the world, have struggled to overcome their smaller opponents in previous matches. However, they possess the potential to upset Nigeria if they can manage to contain the Super Eagles' attacking threats.
Nigeria and Mozambique will meet for a second time at AFCON on Monday night, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals after beating Algeria's rivals last week.
The underdog narrative is so overused it's like a tired meme that everyone knows is coming but can't resist playing along 
Mozambique might be an underdog in terms of ranking, but they've already pulled off a huge upset by qualifying for the knockout stages after 40 years... meanwhile Nigeria is just trying to not get thrashed 
Iwobi's squad depth is gonna be put to the test if he can keep his team organized on defense 
This one's shaping up to be an interesting clash! 
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They're like the underdog dream come true, but I'm calling foul... I mean, I don't think they've got what it takes to take down a team as hungry and desperate as Mozambique 
. Those guys have been waiting 40 years for an AFCON win, they're gonna give Nigeria everything they've got 
. Plus, their squad depth is on point, and if they can keep the Super Eagles' forwards in check, it's game over 
who would've thought mozambique would even make it this far? their squad depth is fire 
and if they can contain nigeria's attack, they might just pull off a massive upset. but on the flip side, nigeria's defense has been a joke 
if they can't get it together, they're gonna get hammered. ademola lookman and victor osimhen are gonna tear them apart 
! I know, I know, they've got that talented squad and all, but their defense is straight WOEF 
. Plus, Mozambique's squad depth is legit 
! Nigeria's squad looks fire 
and I think they've got a shot at pulling off an upset. Their squad depth is legit 
and they're gonna need all hands on deck to take down Nigeria's attack. It's gonna be a wild ride 
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. If they can contain Nigeria's attack, they might just pull off an upset 
. I'm gonna go with Nigeria winning this one, but by a hair 
, 2-1 seems about right 