Nigeria will host Benin in a West African derby at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, looking to get off to a fine start in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
It will be the second meeting between both sides in the space of four months, with the visitors securing a 2-1 win when both sides met in June for a World Cup qualifying match.
Match preview
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Nigeria will be seeking revenge when they take to the pitch on Saturday after losing in this fixture for only the second time in history back in June.
The Super Eagles took the lead via Raphael Onyedika three minutes before the half-hour mark, but Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie found the net for Benin before the break to turn the game around for the Cheetahs.
This result marked the end of Finidi George's short reign as head coach, with the former Ajax winger tendering his resignation letter after the Nigeria Football Federation proposed he take up an assistant role to leave room for a new head coach.
After leaving the role vacant for several months, Bruno Labbadia was announced as the new head coach, but it turned out the NFF had not agreed a contract with the German before the announcement, leading to a mess as both parties could not agree on terms.
Augustine Eguavoen was eventually appointed on an interim basis to lead the team for the games in September, in what will be his third stint with the team.
His first task is to get the Super Eagles off to a good start in the AFCON qualifiers, helping the team pick up their first win since March, having gone three matches without a win – losing to Mali and Benin while salvaging a 1-1 draw against South Africa.
Nigeria finished as runners-up at the last AFCON edition, and have lost just one of their last 12 AFCON qualifying matches – a run they will hope to keep up come Saturday.
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Meanwhile, former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr will look to heap more misery on his old side as he aims to take Benin to a first AFCON since 2019.
The Cheetahs have won three of 12 matches under the German, drawing four and losing five times since he took over the head coach role in February 2023.
However, the first win was awarded by CAF after Rwanda fielded an ineligible player during an AFCON 2023 qualifying match against Beninese, while the other wins have come in their last two matches, signalling an improvement they will hope to keep up when they take on the Super Eagles once again.
Benin have never won a game on Nigerian soil, losing 2-1 on their only trip there in 2019 for AFCON qualifier, but the Cheetahs will feel confident more than ever going into this clash given Rohr's familiarity with the Nigerian team and their win last time out.
Team News
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Reigning African Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen, and AFCON 2023 Player of the Tournament, William Troost-Ekong, have both returned to the Nigerian squad for September's games after missing out on June's World Cup qualifiers due to injuries.
Taiwo Awoniyi, who has been absent from the team since November due to a combination of injuries and not being called up, is also back in the squad.
Fenerbahce's defender Bright Osayi-Samuel has had to withdraw due to an injury and has been replaced by Crawley Town's new signing Benjamin Tanimu.
Bachirou Sika (Coton FC) and Samadou Attidjikou (Bani Ganse FC) have received their first call-ups to the Benin team for this clash.
Dossou and Mounie, who both scored in the victory over Nigeria last time out, are expected to lead the Cheetahs' attack once again.
Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Nwabali; Aina, Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Ndidi, Onyedika, Iwobi; Lookman, Osimhen, Chukwueze
Benin possible starting lineup:
Dandjinou; Moumini, Hountondji, Tijani, Kiki; Dokou, D'Almeida, Imourane; Dossou, Mounie, Olaitan
We say: Nigeria 2-0 Benin
Nigeria will be hoping that the return of Osimhen and Ekong will improve the team's performance and boost their chances of ending their three-match losing streak.
Although Benin have won their last two matches, playing in Nigeria is a completely different experience, and the pressure could prove to be too much for the visitors to handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
