Former Nigeria player Osaze Odemwingie has said the Super Eagles have an advantage over Ivory Coast as the two West African powerhouses clash in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), on Sunday, February 11.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast had previously met on the second matchday of the group stage where the Super Eagles defeated the Elephants by a sole goal, thanks to William Troost-Ekong's strike from the penalty spot in the 55th minute of the game.
Jose Peseiro's men finished second in the group, four points ahead of Ivory Coast, and have been unbeaten since then, beating Cameroon in the round of 16, Angola in the quarterfinal, and South Africa in the semifinal via a penalty shootout.
Ivory Coast, on the other hand, finished as one of the best third-placed teams and have been performing excellently well since then, beating defending champions Senegal via a penalty shootout, Mali, and D.R. Congo to book a place in the the final.
Therefore, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire will go head-to-head for the second time in the 2023 AFCON at 9 pm Nigerian time on Sunday, February 11, at Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the AFCON 2023 grand finale, Osaze Odemwingie says Nigeria can hurt the tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, who conceded four goals in their surprise 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea earlier in the competition.
Osaze said; "Hopefully, history repeats itself and we beat them once again in this tournament, I think we have the upper hand emotionally and maybe mentally because we know we have already had a good performance against them with the support of the crowd".
"So I think the boys will have it at the back of their minds that during this tournament, they have already won but you know at the same time you know a very good start is very important".
"We have all the talents. We have a team with more talented players than Cote d’Ivoire. If we match them physically, they cannot match us for skill and that would be my hope that all these skills you know come out in the game because we want to unlock their defense".
"They conceded four goals against Equatorial Guinea, so there are places to exploit and I am sure they will show them the images of where those goals came from, and hopefully, our boys will do the same thing and use those key weak areas in their team because scoring will be important and if we can score first, obviously it will us you know to keep their fans and all home support quiet".
Who's Osaze Odemwingie?
Odemwingie represented Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations four times and won three bronze medals.
The former Nigeria striker was born on July 15, 1981, which means he's 42 years old.
He has played in several European club sides including, West Bromwich Alboin, Stoke City, Lokomotiv Moscow, and LOSC Lille among others.
Numerous Nigerian players have graced Premier League football in the past but Oseze's name will remain in the league's history as the first Nigeria player to win multiple Premier League Player of The Month Awards during his stint with West Bromwich.
He scored 37 times and registered 13 assists in 127 Premier League games.
Odemwingie made his debut for the Nigeria national team in a friendly against Kenya in May 2002 and has represented the country over 60 times, including at two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as winning silver at the 2008 Olympics.
What's next?
Ivory Coast are striving for their third AFCON title while Nigeria are looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time, however, it remains to be seen which side will later be crowned as the new African champions.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast had previously met on the second matchday of the group stage where the Super Eagles defeated the Elephants by a sole goal, thanks to William Troost-Ekong's strike from the penalty spot in the 55th minute of the game.
Jose Peseiro's men finished second in the group, four points ahead of Ivory Coast, and have been unbeaten since then, beating Cameroon in the round of 16, Angola in the quarterfinal, and South Africa in the semifinal via a penalty shootout.
Ivory Coast, on the other hand, finished as one of the best third-placed teams and have been performing excellently well since then, beating defending champions Senegal via a penalty shootout, Mali, and D.R. Congo to book a place in the the final.
Therefore, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire will go head-to-head for the second time in the 2023 AFCON at 9 pm Nigerian time on Sunday, February 11, at Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the AFCON 2023 grand finale, Osaze Odemwingie says Nigeria can hurt the tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, who conceded four goals in their surprise 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea earlier in the competition.
Osaze said; "Hopefully, history repeats itself and we beat them once again in this tournament, I think we have the upper hand emotionally and maybe mentally because we know we have already had a good performance against them with the support of the crowd".
"So I think the boys will have it at the back of their minds that during this tournament, they have already won but you know at the same time you know a very good start is very important".
"We have all the talents. We have a team with more talented players than Cote d’Ivoire. If we match them physically, they cannot match us for skill and that would be my hope that all these skills you know come out in the game because we want to unlock their defense".
"They conceded four goals against Equatorial Guinea, so there are places to exploit and I am sure they will show them the images of where those goals came from, and hopefully, our boys will do the same thing and use those key weak areas in their team because scoring will be important and if we can score first, obviously it will us you know to keep their fans and all home support quiet".
Who's Osaze Odemwingie?
Odemwingie represented Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations four times and won three bronze medals.
The former Nigeria striker was born on July 15, 1981, which means he's 42 years old.
He has played in several European club sides including, West Bromwich Alboin, Stoke City, Lokomotiv Moscow, and LOSC Lille among others.
Numerous Nigerian players have graced Premier League football in the past but Oseze's name will remain in the league's history as the first Nigeria player to win multiple Premier League Player of The Month Awards during his stint with West Bromwich.
He scored 37 times and registered 13 assists in 127 Premier League games.
Odemwingie made his debut for the Nigeria national team in a friendly against Kenya in May 2002 and has represented the country over 60 times, including at two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as winning silver at the 2008 Olympics.
What's next?
Ivory Coast are striving for their third AFCON title while Nigeria are looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time, however, it remains to be seen which side will later be crowned as the new African champions.