Benin vs Nigeria Prediction: The Super Eagles stand a better chance against their opponent

In the return leg of the AFCON qualifying round, Benin Republic will face off against Nigeria at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Thursday. Both teams stand an equal chance of booking their ticket to the AFCON Tournament in Morocco next year and we expect a winner to emerge here tomorrow. 

FIFA Ranking: 95th

Last five games: WLWWL

The Cheetahs dropped six places off on the latest FIFA Ranking after their defeat against Rwanda in Kigali. Benin Republic, who had won the reverse leg, started well against their opponent when Andreas Hountondji scored before the break, however, Rwanda started asking questions in the second half. Fortunately for the hosts, they got a leveller in the 70th minute and seized the lead five minutes later. Benin Republic, who had now won back-to-back games before they maintained their spot on the log. 

Gernot Rohr's men have picked up six points from a combined twelve, scoring six and conceding six. 

FIFA Ranking: 36th

Last five games: LWDWW

The Super Eagles assumed the top spot on the log after three points were awarded to them. Following their ordeal in Libya, where they were denied access to rest and training, Nigeria returned home, failing to honour the game. After some complaints were filed by both teams, CAF found Libya guilty of maltreating their opponent and lacking a spirit of sportsmanship. They were fined a huge amount of money and awarded the Super Eagles the maximum points. Aside from that, Nigeria have had a great start to this campaign, heading here with two wins and a stalemate. 

Nigeria moved up in the latest FIFA ranking following their decent run in this tournament. The Super Eagles have picked up seven points from a combined ten, and three points here will be enough to book their spot in Morocco next year.

The Benin Republic has won once while Nigeria have managed four wins over their previous five meetings. The reverse leg ended in a huge victory for the Super Eagles, who scored three times to amass all the points. Both teams are familiar with each other, having met twice in the last five months. Nigeria can be unpredictable; however, they’ll be poised to avenge their (2-1) loss against Benin in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier on this same ground. Nigeria have named a strong squad for this encounter, with Victor Osihmen, Lookman and Chukwu Eze likely starting up front. We anticipate a great start from the Super Eagles, and we think they’ll score before the break 1.84.

We also believe this game won’t be cagey; bet on a total of over 2.5 goals for 2.30

Nigeria will likely win and score more than once here for 1.96.

Good luck!