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Benin will lock horns against Nigeria at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Thursday. Les Guépards have two wins in four games thus far and are in second place in the Group D standings. The visitors have three wins and are at the top of the table.
Les Guépards played Rwanda in their previous AFCON match and fell to a 2-1 away loss. They were last in action in the first round of the African Nations Championship qualifiers earlier this month and played to a 1-1 draw, suffering a 3-1 loss on aggregate.
The Super Eagles recorded a 1-0 home win over Libya last month and were awarded a 3-0 win in the reverse fixture after the players and officials were stuck in the airport for more than 16 hours.
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Benin vs Nigeria Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 18 times in all competitions. The visitors have the upper hand in these meetings, leading 14-2 in wins, and two games have ended in draws.
- The visitors are one of the three teams to have kept clean sheets in all four games in the qualifiers thus far.
- The Super Eagles have a 100% home record in the AFCON qualifiers against Les Guépards.
- Benin have three wins in their last 12 games in the AFCON qualifiers while suffering seven losses.
- The Super Eagles have won six of their last seven games in the AFCON qualifiers, keeping five consecutive clean sheets.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last 11 away games in the AFCON qualifiers, recording eight wins.
- Les Guépards are winless in their last three games, suffering two losses.
Benin vs Nigeria Prediction
The Cheetahs have two wins in the AFCON qualifiers thus far, with both coming at Thursday's venue. They have suffered defeats in all eight AFCON meetings against the visitors, including qualifiers.
Olivier Verdon dropped out due to an injury, while Cedric Hountondji was left out of the squad due to a hamstring issue. Steve Mounié and Steve Traore will lead the lineup here.
The Super Eagles have enjoyed an unbeaten record in the AFCON qualifiers, recording three wins while keeping clean sheets in all four games. They have a good away record in the AFCON qualifiers and are strong favorites.
Interim manager Augustine Eguavoen has called up a strong squad for the two games this month, headlined by William Troost-Ekong, Ademola Lookman, and Moses Simon.
The Cheetahs are without two key defenders here, which is likely to impact the outcome of the match. With that in mind and considering the visitors' dominance in this fixture, the Super Eagles are expected to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Benin 1-2 Nigeria
Benin vs Nigeria Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Nigeria to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: First Team to Score - Nigeria
