An African derby will be played in Morocco, as Nigeria and Ghana will meet at Stade de Marrakech. A friendly match will begin on Friday, March 22, at 4 PM CET.
Nigeria
Being unable to qualify for the World Cup in 2022 was a nightmare scenario for Nigeria, as the Super Falcons expect to be the best team in Africa at any moment.
While the domestic league is struggling to post results in the CAF Champions League, the team itself tried to put itself back on track during the Cup of Nations. Taking down the likes of Cameroon, Angola and South Africa, before falling in a rematch to Ivory Coast in the finals was a considerable improvement.
Questions with the 28th ranked Nigeria’s attack still remain, as they have not scored more than two in a half a year, but the defensive side of the ball is confident and ready to perform.
Ghana
Ghana went to the World Cup, but did not make the playoffs, as they took down South Korea, but lost to Portugal and Uruguay in the process.
A trip to Ivory Coast to the CAF Cup of Nations ended up with an almost comical final, as Ghana controlled its destiny, led “2-0” against Mozambique but instead of advancing, allowed two goals in extra time and missed the cut altogether.
Ghana have not scored in three straight friendlies, against USA, Mexico and Namibia, tumbled to a subpar 67th spot in the FIFA rankings, below the fellow Burkina Faso, Congo DR and Cape Verde, but will try and get back on foot in Marrakech.
Prediction ⚽️
It was Ghana, who stopped Nigeria from participating in the last World Cup. The former secured a much needed draw in Abuja, while the latter sought their first victory in the rivalry since 2017.
Now, with neither team having a home field advantage in Morocco, we will side with the “hosts” of this Jollof derby, as Nigeria looked better in winter and can stop that unfortunate streak on Friday.