Afrigather 
The mud has settled on the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, leaving us with 16 groups able to battle for supremacy in Cote d’Ivoire
Nigeria’s soccer icon, Segun Odegbami, is assured that the Tremendous Eagles will safe victory in opposition to Cameroon of their upcoming conflict on Saturday in the course of the last-16 stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, Soccernet.ng experiences.
Each groups, regardless of their soccer pedigree, have confronted criticism from followers for underwhelming performances within the match to date.
Nigeria managed to win two and draw one in every of their preliminary three video games, securing a second-place end in Group A.
Alternatively, Cameroon’s journey to the knockout rounds concerned drawing one, shedding one other, and narrowly clinching a last-minute win over Gambia.
The historical past between the 2 sides at AFCON provides an additional layer of anticipation, with Cameroon triumphing over Nigeria at three totally different finals to assert the AFCON trophy.
Apparently, solely Egypt’s Pharaohs have bested Cameroon extra occasions than Nigeria on the AFCON, with the Tremendous Eagles notching three victories in seven encounters.
Legendary Cameroonian footballer Roger Milla has hinted on the unpredictability of the upcoming match, however Nigeria’s 1980 AFCON hero, Odegbami, stays optimistic.
Odegbami expects a high-quality recreation as two African powerhouses go head-to-head, however his confidence in Nigeria’s success stems from one key issue: the impeccable enjoying floor on the Félix Houphouet Boigny stadium in Abidjan.
“I can let you know with out blinking that this recreation in opposition to Cameroon will probably be our best recreation,” Odegbami advised the Vanguard, dismissing expectations of Cameroon’s historically bodily type.
“It’s going to be a free-flowing recreation on a usually good pitch. And that’s the place our boys will catch them.”
“You’ll be able to see that the standard has improved with their different matches. The Eagles have settled down. We’ll beat them.
“It’s going to be a conflict. There’s not going to be any simple recreation, particularly within the knockout phases. All of them know that there’s no likelihood to right your errors within the knockout matches. Our guys have what it takes they usually have an edge over Cameroon on this recreation.
“I’ve unflagging confidence that this group will do it once more. I’ve been saying it for some weeks now and the assumption is getting stronger.”
Along with the Nigeria vs Cameroon fixture, different round-of-16 clashes embody Angola vs Namibia, Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea, Egypt vs Congo DR, Cape Verde vs Mauritania, Senegal vs Cote d’Ivoire, Mali vs Burkina Faso, and Morocco vs South Africa.
The last-16 fixtures will begin on Saturday, January 27, and conclude on Tuesday, January 30.
