Tunisia vs Nigeria Predictions

The Africa Cup of Nations wraps up this week, with the third/fourth place playoff on Wednesday. Both Tunisia and Nigeria had to extend their stay in Egypt for this meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, which serves as a relaxed finish to the tournament for both sides. While both have lost their chance of winning silverware in this competition, one team will walk away with bronze. Will Tunisia cap their remarkable run, or can Nigeria follow up on a disappointing defeat?

Tunisia were surprise semi-finalists, following a favourable draw and plenty of resolve. They were able to go unbeaten through the group stage, drawing every game as they secured a spot in the last 16. They did see their fifth draw of the tournament when they met Senegal at the weekend, but the tournament favourites were able to win 1-0 in extra time to send Tunisia into Wednesday’s clash.

Nigeria were in the showpiece semi, a meeting between themselves and Algeria. That took two of the continents top sides, bringing us a semi-final packed with talent from some of Europe’s top clubs. The Super Eagles lost out to a late Algeria goal, going down 2-1 in Cairo and exiting the competition. Nigeria were hoping to follow up their 2013 victory, but they have certainly made strides forward after failing to qualify in both 2015 and 2017. Can they now claim one final win and secure a spot in the top three?

Nigeria’s exit did eliminate one of the few sides at this tournament who are prepared to push forward and play with an open style. While we’ve seen a lot of drama in Egypt so far, there’s not been many high-quality games. Nigeria are at least a team who are winning to take a hit at the back because they know they pack a punch going forward. That ultimately cost them against Algeria, but they shouldn’t abandon that style now for a third-place playoff.

Tunisia have been quite reserved in their matches so far, but their 3-0 win over Madagascar in the quarter-finals shows they’ll venture forward when the opportunity arises. Against Nigeria in a game with little riding on it, chances will pop up for Tunisia. Nigeria have conceded in their last four matches, shipping at least two in three of them. Tunisia saw both teams score in their two pre-tournament games, along with their opening two group matches. We expect this clash to go the same way, so both teams to score is our pick.