Nigeria will be looking to finish their Nations Cup qualifiers on a high when they welcome bottom-side Seychelles to the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on Friday.
The Super Eagles have been notable absentees for the past two AFCON editions and will no doubt be looking to make up for lost time when this summer’s tournament gets underway in Egypt.
Nigeria are already through to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations having claimed three wins and a draw from their five matches. They currently top the group with 10 points and need a win against Seychelles to finish as group winners.
A 1-1 draw with South Africa in November was enough to secure Nigeria’s spot with a game to spare, guaranteeing at least a top-two finish while the South Africans battle with Libya in the final round of fixtures.
Manager, Gernot Rohr will still be looking for his side to secure top spot against the group’s bottom team, though, as they look to maintain their unbeaten record since last summer’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, Seychelles have had a poor campaign in the AFCON qualifiers and are still without a win after five matches. They have suffered four defeats and are currently bottom of the group with just one point.
The visitors have been poor in attack throughout the qualifiers having failed to score in four of their five matches.
The only previous meeting between Nigeria and Seychelles came in the reverse fixture at the Stade Linte in Mahe. The Super Eagles claimed a 3-0 victory with Ahmed Musa, Ighalo and Chidozie Awaziem getting the goals.
Seychelles have by far the worst defensive record in qualifying, though, while only two teams have scored more goals than Nigeria – one of whom is Libya following their eight-goal haul.
An Over 2.5 goal option might be a good option to bet on.
Things look bleak for the Pirates, then, and it would take an almighty shock for them to end what is now a 20-match winless run away to the three-time African champions.
Seychelles are closing in on three years since their last win of any kind – against Lesotho in March 2016 – losing 15 and drawing five of their outings since then.
That record is even worse when looking at away form, with Seychelles having not won on the road since beating Swaziland – in January 2012. Of their 21 away games since that result, they have lost 19 and drawn two.
It is hard to look past a resounding Nigeria win in this match. Seychelles have been soundly beaten by both South Africa and Libya in recent games and Nigeria sit above both of those teams in the group, so betting on a high score win for Nigeria at BetBiga.com who are offering greats odds for that will be smart.
You can also get big odds at BetBiga.com on Odion Ighalo scoring against Seychelles. He has been excellent for Nigeria with six goals in his last three matches. The striker is expected to get support from the likes of Musa and Alex Iwobi.
