The 6th Favorites in the Africa Cup of Nations as per Opta
Opta Sports, a British sports analytics company, has ranked Nigeria as the 6th favorite country to win the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. The ranking is based on a supercomputer’s predictions.
The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is set to commence on Saturday with the final scheduled for February 11.
Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, are placed in Group A along with the hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles have their sights set on winning the AFCON for the fourth time, having clinched the title in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
As projected by Opta‘s supercomputer, Nigeria’s chances of winning the AFCON stand at 8.1% – marking a potential victory after 10 years.
According to the website, “Napoli’s Osimhen was the top scorer in qualification, netting 10 goals, at least twice as many as any other player.” The article also highlighted the injury to Victor Boniface, emphasizing the added responsibility on Osimhen to lead Nigeria’s attack.
The Super Eagles possess significant attacking potential with players like Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman contributing to their dynamism.
The defending champions, Senegal, top the list of candidates to win the AFCON with a 12.8% probability, followed by Ivory Coast at 12.1%, and Morocco at 11.1%. Algeria holds a 9.7% chance, while Egypt and Nigeria secure the fifth and sixth positions respectively.
“Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman should start off the left, and he ranks second in Serie A for open-play goals per 90 this campaign (0.56), behind only Martínez (0.94).”
