Gabon U23 vs Niger U23 Prediction: Gabon will win here

This U23 Africa Cup of Nations game between Gabon U23 and Niger U23 will take place at Grand Stade de Tanger. Both teams were unable to win their first-round games, so they will be looking to change their luck here. 

Francois Bekale was sent off late in the first half, and things did not go the way Gabon U23 thought they would in their first game against Mali U23. In that game, Gabon U23 were ahead early in the 3rd minute when Emmanuel Essogo scored from the penalty spot. Mali U23 tied the score when Mamadou Sangare scored from the same spot. Mali U23 won the first half, though. Boubacar Traore set up Aime Mboungui, who scored 41 minutes into the game to give Mali U23 a win in the first half. Even so, Mali U23 was only able to score one goal in 90+2 minutes of the second half, despite a strong Gabon U23 defense. Gabon's U23 team will now try to get back to their best and worry less about how they started this event.

After playing Egypt U23 to a scoreless draw in the first match of the tournament, Niger U23 improved their record to seven wins and zero losses. On the other hand, during this streak, Niger U23 was only able to win two of those matches, against Guinea Bissau U23 and Sudan U23, and the remaining five resulted in draws. During that stretch, this team was responsible for six goals scored while also allowing three goals to be scored against them, with all of their draws finishing with scores of 0-0. In spite of this, the Niger U23 team currently holds the second slot in Group B of the AFCON U23 rankings with one point after playing one game.

At this stage of the competition, matches require players to provide their very best effort in both attack and defense. After analyzing the performances of both teams, it appears that Gabon U23 is the superior team in this matchup. Despite the fact that Niger U23 has been an especially strong team defensively, I do not see them winning this match since defensive play will not win it for them. In the meantime, with a team that is more well-rounded like Gabon's U23s, I anticipate that they will alter their fate here, win, and increase their prospects of qualifying for the knockout stage.