The race for a place in the 2022 World Cup continues on Friday as two African powerhouses—Ghana and Nigeria—will play their first leg match at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, with a kickoff at 10:30 pm.
Ghana endured a poor campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they suffered an early exit after picking up just one point from three games in Group C.
The Black Stars began their tournament with a 1-0 defeat against Morocco, played a 1-1 draw with Gabon in their second game, and then lost 3-2 against debutants Comoros to end their group stage campaign.
Ghana will now look to gain momentum ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers. They have been drawn against West African rivals Nigeria after finishing first in Group G of the qualifiers.
Otto Addo’s men, who had collected 10 points from five games before the game, needed all three points in their final group game against South Africa on November 14 to progress to the next phase of the qualifiers. Andre Ayew calmly converted his penalty, sent Ghana top of the group, and into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Nigeria collected 13 points – two points above runners-up Cape Verde – to finish top of Group C. The Super Eagles’ only defeat came at the hands of the Central African Republic in October when Karl Namnganda scored a 90th-minute winner to hand the visitors a shock victory.
Ghana vs. Nigeria Head to Head
Both sides have six games against each other, with hosts taking three wins while visitors with one win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Ghana 2-3 Comoros
- Gabon 1-1 Ghana
- Morocco 1-0 Ghana
- Algeria 3-0 Ghana
- Ghana 1-0 South Africa
Away
- Nigeria 0-1 Tunisia
- Guinea Bissau 0-2 Nigeria
- Nigeria 3-1 Sudan
- Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
- Nigeria 1-1 Cape Verde
Ghana Team News
Interim manager Otto Addo will manage Ghana at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. Addo has selected a youthful 27-man squad and called up Reading defender Andy Yiadom, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Bochum striker Christopher Antwi-Adjei, and many more exciting prospects the national side.
Nigeria Team News
In addition to the Premier League trio of Emmanuel Dennis, William Troost-Ekong, and Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria have also called up a star-stuffed 25-man list for their two ties against the Black Stars.
Prediction and Odds
We predict that Nigeria will win, giving the Black Stars a tough task in the return leg.
- Nigeria Win
- Goals Under 3.5
- Most Goals: 2H
