Two traditional Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) heavyweights will square off at the Marrakech Stadium as Algeria and Nigeria go head-to-head for a spot in the semi-finals today.
This will be the first major test for both sides in this tournament, and will pit AFCON’s stingiest defence against the fiercest attack.
Whichever side comes out on top will undoubtedly fancy their chances of going all the way, setting the tone for a fiercely contested blockbuster.
Match Preview
Algeria arrived at this AFCON looking for redemption after painful group-stage exits in the last two editions.
Despite those performances, the 2019 champions were still billed as one of the favourites to win the title before the start of the tournament.
The Desert Warriors have lived up to expectations, at least until now.
Vladimir Petkovic’s side got through the group stage with a perfect record, winning all three games against Sudan, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
They finished top of their group without breaking much sweat, but things got serious in the last-16.
DR Congo pushed Algeria to the limit, but a 119th-minute goal from Adil Boulbina sealed a dramatic 1-0 victory.
Algeria have now won 11 of their last 14 matches in all competitions, with their only defeat coming via penalties at the FIFA Arab Cup.
They’ll be keen to end their quarter-final hoodoo, having failed to get past this stage in four of their last six AFCON knockout outings.
However, an ongoing four-match winning streak against Nigeria will boost their hopes of reaching the AFCON semi-final for the first time since their title win.
Unlike Algeria, Nigeria are specialists at reaching the AFCON semi-finals, having done so in 15 of their last 20 appearances.
That includes the previous edition, where they lost to Ivory Coast in the final. But that near miss and the pain of failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup have fuelled their desire to go all the way.
Nigeria have been in blistering form in this campaign. They’ve won all four games, scoring 12 goals while conceding just four.
They claimed a 4-0 win over Mozambique in the last-16, keeping their first clean sheet.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are spearheading the Super Eagles’ title run, and they’ll need to keep their foot on the gas later this evening.
Nigeria have lost their last three meetings with Algeria, including the painful semi-final defeat in 2019.
Algeria AFCON form
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Nigeria AFCON form
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Team News
Algeria may be without Ismael Bennacer, who was forced off against DR Congo.
Anis Hadj Moussa will likely miss the rest of the tournament due to fitness issues, although Jaouen Hadjam could return to the fold after missing the last two games.
Nigeria have no injury concerns to report, so Eric Chelle is expected to stick with his preferred starting XI.
Algeria possible starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Luca Zidane; Rafik Belghali, Aissa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Rayan Ait Nouri; Hicham Boudaoui, Ramiz Zerrouki, Fares Chaibi; Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Amoura, Ibrahim Maza.
Nigeria potential starting line-up:
(4-3-1-2): Stanley Nwabali; Bright Osayi-Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi; Frank Onyeka, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi; Ademola Lookman; Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams.
Match prediction
Algeria have a strong record against Nigeria, winning each of the last four meetings in all competitions.
However, the Super Eagles are operating at a different level in this tournament, so this could be the perfect opportunity to end their losing streak against Algeria.
Algeria 1-2 Nigeria.
