Nigeria vs Cameroon Prediction: Super Eagles to fly past neighbours

We've reached the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament and on Saturday night (20:00) we have a tie between two African powerhouses. Nigeria take on Senegal at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan and we've provided a full preview and predictions for the occasion. 

Nigeria and Cameroon are next-door neighbours but there will be no borrowing a cup of sugar on Saturday night, with this match expected to be an explosive one between two of the biggest African footballing nations. There are just four positions between the two in the FIFA rankings and both teams will fancy their chances of progressing into the quarter-finals.

José Peseiro's position was under threat pre-tournament, with several Nigerian pundits calling for his head. However, after a serene progression into the last 16, with two 1-0 wins over Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, as well as a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, the plaudits have returned and the Super Eagles fans are believing of a first title since 2013.

For Cameroon, a late 91st-minute winner by Christopher Wooh against Gambia sealed their qualification but they have looked anything but convincing in their performances thus far. The Indomitable Lions will need a significant uptick to be able to get past Nigeria.

Team news

Nigeria boss Peseiro should stick with the 11 that have been so successful thus far in AFCON 2023.

Rigobert Song had a big injury boost this week, with the news that Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar and former Tottenham Hotspur winger Clinton N'Jie had returned to full training. Neither man had previously played a part in the tournament thus far.

Match odds

Nigeria are just a shade above evens for this match at 21/20, with Cameroon firm 11/4 outsiders. The draw is modestly priced at 15/8, should you fancy extra time and possibly penalties.

This is expected to be a tight affair with under 2.5 goals at just 4/9.

Nigeria to win - 21/20

These two sides appear to be going in different directions right now, with Nigeria unbeaten and Cameroon limping into the knockout stages.

Cameroon look fragile at the back and Nigeria have plenty of attacking talent, which doesn't bode well for Song's men.

I'm taking Nigeria to win this one in a low-scoring affair.

Victor Osimhen to score - 13/8

The current African Footballer of the Year scored in his opening game but has struggled to register a goal since. However, it is not for the want of trying, with Osimhn averaging 4.3 shots per game at AFCON 2023 to date.

It is surely only a matter of time before the 25-year-old starts banging them in again and that could easily happen against Cameroon, who have already conceded six in three group games.

Check out our AFCON Betting Tips here.