Nigeria vs South Africa Prediction: This tough matchup won’t deny us goals

The Super Eagles will face off against South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday. Nigeria will be poised to secure the World Cup ticket after failing to qualify for the previous edition. They will host Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the third game of the group. 

FIFA Ranking: 30th

Last five games: WWLWL

The Super Eagles, who wrapped up the AFCON Tournament as the second-best team, dropped two places in the recent FIFA Rankings. Nigeria have drawn their last two games in this campaign against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. The Super Eagles are third on the log and to stand a chance of finishing at the top of the standings, they must secure the maximum points against South Africa.

After their decent run in the just concluded AFCON tournament, Nigeria have played two friendly games against a solid Mali team and Ghana. They lost once and won a game, scoring twice and conceding two goals. 

The Super Eagles lost three over their previous seventeen games, and we hope to secure the maximum points here.

FIFA Ranking: 59th

Last five games: WLWDD

The Bafana Bafana of South Africa head here with a victory and defeat in this campaign. After their (2-1) win over Benin in South Africa, they suffered a shocking defeat on the road. The game defeat on the road against Rwanda was due to bad weather, as players were unable to adapt to such unfavorable conditions. They are presently the third-best team in the continent as they march here with back-to-back stalemates in their friendly games against Algeria and Andorra. 

South Africa's last appearance in this campaign earned them thirteen points from a combined eighteen, finishing in second spot behind Ghana. Hugo Broos' men have invited an experienced side for this engagement, and we expect them to be stronger here.

Over their previous eleven meetings, Nigeria have won six while South Africa have recorded a win and four games ending in a tie. The Super Eagles of Nigeria ended the guests' dream of winning the AFCON title early this year. Nigeria, who have made some adjustments in the management of the team will play under a new manager, Finidi George. The former Enyimba tactician has invited top players for this encounter excluding the injured Victor Osimhen. At the same time, South Africa have called up CAF Champions League winner Percy Tau and Lyle Foster of Burnley, to mention a few.

This isn’t as easy as the bookies think because we believe the Bafana Bafana will make life difficult for the Super Eagles.

The new Super Eagles coach has stressed the fact that Nigeria can’t play defensively, as he thinks he has enough arsenal to be an offensive side. Considering the quality of players on the pitch, we expect to see more than two goals here for 2.25.

We expect Nigeria to secure a halftime victory here for 2.10.

This game will produce a BTTS for 2.38.

Good luck!