Nigeria vs Tanzania: Can Tanzania Upset Nigeria’s AFCON Title Hunt
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Cydias Aujard
Nigeria’s Tricky Tuesday Opener
With Tunisia and Uganda ahead, this is Nigeria’s least challenging game. Or at least, it should be. For Nigeria in a three-game group stage, failing to win all three points against their “easiest opponents” might be fatal. But the desperation to do so is exactly what makes this game tricky. See our expert's Nigeria vs Tanzania match prediction for deeper insights and the sharper pick.
Chelle will heavily favour an offensive lineup, at least at the start of the game, in hopes of scoring early and seeing out a victory. Tanzania will be expecting just that, and is likely prepared to put on a 90-minute defensive show for the Group C favourites.
Why a low-block setup for Tanzania might be especially effective against Nigeria due to the Super Eagles' midfield weaknesses. Nigeria notoriously lacks creators in the middle who can carefully split open tight defences and deliver the ball to closely marked forwards.
If Nigeria fails to net a goal early, the situation becomes worse as they get more desperate as time goes by. This desperation for a goal(s) could see the Super Eagles committing too many men forward, leaving themselves vulnerable to deadly counters.
Can Tanzania Truly Shock Nigeria?
For Tanzania, even a draw against the three-time AFCON winners is a favourable result. And drawing this game is something that's definitely within reach. While Nigeria boasts a star-studded lineup, their creativity in the middle of the park has seen them struggle to break down teams committed to defending.
The Taifa Stars, while on a streak of bad performances, have been relatively solid at the back all year. Notably, Tanzania has only conceded 2+ goals in one of their last 15 competitive matches outside friendlies over the past year, and that was to Morocco. Also interesting is that Tanzania went undefeated in ten of those 15 games, conceded only ten goals, and even recorded six wins.
Unlike the 11th-ranked Morocco, Nigeria is much less creative on the offence. They could very well dominate the game as they did against the 129th-ranked Zimbabwe in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers. But just as Zimbabwe defended all game and stunned the Super Eagles with a late equaliser, Tanzania are well equipped to do so.
Novatus Miroshi’s presence in the middle will cause all sorts of problems for the likes of Iwobi and Onyeka, who will be tasked with progressing the play. And up front at the flanks are Rochdale’s Tarryn Allarakhia and Charles M’Mombwa, ready to pounce on any counter opportunities.
Both scored a goal in their latest game, and M’Mombwa has three goals and one assist in his last two games. Yet, it's Kelvin John Nigeria might need to worry about the most. He's already AaB Fodbold’s highest goalscorer (7) with the most assists (3) in the league this season. For Nigeria, underrating Tanzania’s frontline might prove costly in a must-win Group C opener..
