Will Ghana set the course for a World Cup place?
No African team has yet qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, this international break marks the hot phase in the qualifying campaign. In five fixtures, the five World Cup participants in the CAF zone will be determined after a first leg and a second leg.
Among others, there will be a showdown between Ghana and Nigeria. Although Ghana will benefit from home advantage in the first leg, the best bookmakers see the Black Stars as only marginal favourites. After all, odds of 2.63 are offered on Ghana vs. Nigeria for tip 1. If the visitors win, on the other hand, odds of up to 2.88 are offered.
The last time the two nations met in a World Cup qualifier, Nigeria went unbeaten against the Black Stars in both legs. The Super Eagles will therefore approach the upcoming hurdle at their West African rivals with a broad chest.
Since 2006, when Nigeria last failed to qualify, the Super Eagles have made three consecutive World Cup appearances. In contrast, the Black Stars have recently lagged behind high expectations and failed to feature at the last World Cup in Russia in 2018. It is quite possible that with the hammer draw against Nigeria, they will miss out on the World Cup again.
Ghana – Statistics & current form
Ghana have mastered the second qualifying round of the 2022 CAF World Cup qualifiers, but the Black Stars still had to fight for a place in the third round until the last matchday. The decision came in the showdown with the South Africans, in which the Ghanaians converted a controversial penalty in injury time to secure victory in the group.
The Black Stars now face Nigeria in the third round. Ghana will be looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014. At the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, Ghana were eliminated by Egypt in the third qualifying round, which was still a group stage format at the time.
Because the Ghanaians were hardly convincing in the last round and only secured their place in the third round with a controversial last-minute victory, it is risky to place a prediction on the Black Stars progressing in the qualifiers against Nigeria. Only with home advantage is there some optimism.
Does Ghana underpin home strength against Nigeria?
At home, the Black Stars have not lost a home game since September 2019. In their last nine home games, Ghana have won eight and drawn only one. The last time Ghana lost at home was against Burkina Faso in the African Nations Championship, where no legionnaires were used.
In addition, Ghana have never lost a home match at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, where the first leg of the third qualifying round will be played. Therefore, the Ghanaians will approach the match against Nigeria with a broad chest. Betting fans who want to bet on Ghana vs. Nigeria can pick up betting odds of up to 2.63 on the hosts from Kumasi.
National coach Otto Addo, who took the reins on an interim basis just under a month ago, can call on most of his key players. It is not yet clear whether Addo will continue as Ghana’s national coach or return to BVB. Addo has most recently been working as a talent manager for Borussia.
Predicted line-up of Ghana:
Wollacott – Mensah, Amartey, Djiku, Yiadom – Partey, Wakaso – Paintsil, Kudus, Antwi-Adjei – Wriedt
Last matches played by Ghana:
Africa Nations Cup Grp. C
01/18 2022 – Ghana 2 – 3 Comoros
01/14 2022 – Gabon 1 – 1 Ghana
01/10 2022 – Morocco 1 – 0 Ghana
Friendly match
01/05 2022 – Algeria 3 – 0 Ghana
World Cup Qualifier CAF – 2nd Round – Grp. G
11/14 2021 – Ghana 1 – 0 South Africa
Nigeria – Statistics & current form
Just like the Black Stars of Ghana, the Super Eagles of Nigeria had to fear for a place in the third round until the last matchday of the second qualifying round. Because Nigeria already topped the group before the showdown with Cape Verde, even a minimal point win on the last matchday was enough for the Nigerians to defend their pole position.
Against the Ghanaians, the Nigerian national team now faces a test of maturity. After all, Friday’s opponents are among the strongest football nations on the African continent.
Moreover, the Black Stars are by no means among the Super Eagles’ favourite opponents. Nigeria last won an international match against Ghana in their best line-up – the WAFU Cup does not count – in January 2006. Since then, there have been three defeats and three draws against the Ghanaian national team.
Defeat against Tunisia already digested?
The last time Nigeria took to the pitch was barely two months ago in the 2022 Africa Cup. The Super Eagles mastered the group stage of the recent AFCON by winning their group. In the process, Nigeria successfully prevailed three times in a group with Guinea-Bissau, Sudan and Egypt. All the more surprising, therefore, was their poor performance in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup.
Nigeria lost 1-0 to the Tunisian national team and thus missed the chance to win the fourth AFCON title in the association’s history. They will now have the chance to make amends in the World Cup qualifiers, where Nigeria will be aiming for a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance.
National coach Augustine Eguavoen will be starting with a promising squad. Among the starting players in the Super Eagles’ ranks are Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho, who are expected to feature in the match against Ghana.
Predicted Nigeria line-up:
Uzoho – Sanusi, Troost-Ekong, Omeruo, Aina – Onyeka, Aribo – Lookman, Iheanacho, Dennis – Osimhen
Last matches played by Nigeria:
Africa Nations Cup Final
01/23 2022 – Nigeria 0 – 1 Tunisia
Africa Nations Cup Grp. D
01/19 2022 – Guinea-Bissau 0 – 2 Nigeria
01/15 2022 – Nigeria 3 – 1 Sudan
01/11 2022 – Nigeria 1 – 0 Egypt
WM Qualification CAF – 2nd Round – Grp. C
11/16 2021 – Nigeria 1 – 1 Cape Verde
Ghana – Nigeria Direct Comparison / H2H Record
This is the 46th time the two nations have met. Ghana lead the head-to-head comparison against the Nigerians so far with a record of 18-17-10. The Black Stars last met the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2017 WAFU Cup. Both teams celebrated one win each, including Ghana’s 4-1 win in their last clash with the Super Eagles.
However, the WAFU Cup results should not be overrated. After all, the WAFU Cup only features players from national leagues and not legionnaires. The last time Ghana and Nigeria met in a World Cup qualifier was in 2001. Nigeria remained unbeaten (1 win, 1 draw) in the first and second legs of the group stage.
Ghana – Nigeria betting tips
Ghana will benefit from home advantage on Friday night and will therefore be confident going into their upcoming match against the Nigerians. After all, the Ghanaian national team has never lost a home game at the Baba Yara Stadium, where the match against the Super Eagles will be played. In any case, Ghana have not had a home defeat since September 2019.
The Black Stars are therefore brimming with confidence. In fact, Ghana have won eight of their last nine home games. Nevertheless, the match against Nigeria will be a real test for the Black Stars, especially since the Ghanaians were hardly convincing in the last round and only secured the group victory on the last matchday with a controversial last-minute win.
We therefore consider betting on the 1X2 market to be risky. After all, Nigeria has successfully qualified for the last three World Cups. Ghana, on the other hand, recently missed out on World Cup participation and also disappointed beyond measure at the recent 2022 Africa Cup. Especially their offensive play has been lacking lately.
We therefore do not rule out a low-scoring encounter on Friday evening and dare to bet on Ghana vs. Nigeria at reasonable odds on under 2.5 goals in the match. We are using five units for this bet.
