Nigeria

 

Nickname

Super Eagles.

Nations Cup finals appearances

14.

Best Nations Cup performance

Twice winners – on home soil in 1980 and much more convincingly in 1994 in Tunisia, with a quality they have found hard to emulate.

Status in African football

Superpower who don’t dominate in the way they should.

How they qualified

By finishing second in their group. They tied on points with Angola but lost out on a World Cup place on head-to-head record.

Coach

Augustine Eguavoen can emulate Egyptian Mahmoud Al-Gohari in winning the Nations Cup as both a player and coach having been in the Nigeria side that won the trophy in 1994.

Key men

Obafemi Martins could be the next big African superstar and gets the chance to take a major step in that direction in his first Nations Cup finals appearance, at the age of 21.

In contrast, the Egypt finals are likely to be the swansong for 32-year-old Jay-Jay Okocha. The midfielder was voted best player of the 2004 finals in Tunisia and scored four goals.

Joseph Yobo is the leader of the defence and will be looking to improve on a mediocre autumn with struggling club side Everton.

Player to watch

John Obi Mikel, 18, has won just a single senior cap but had Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho fighting over his signature.

Prediction

To play Cameroon in the Final.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Dele Aiyegnuba (Enyimba), Austin Ejide (Etoile Sahel/Tunisia), Vincent Enyeama (Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv/Israel)

Defenders: Joseph Enakarhire (Dinamo Moscow/Russia), Obinna Nwaneri (Esperance/Tunisia), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow/Russia), Taye Taiwo (Marseille/France), Joseph Yobo (Everton/England)

Midfielders: Yusuf Ayila (Dinamo Kiev/Ukraine), Sani Kaita (Sparta Rotterdam/Holland), Garba Lawal (Iraklis/Greece), Paul Obiefule (Viborg/Denmark), John Mikel Obi (Lyn Oslo/Norway), Christian Obodo (Udinese/Italy), Jay-Jay Okocha (Bolton/England), Wilson Oruma (Marseille/France)

Strikers: Julius Aghahowa (Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukraine), Nwankwo Kanu (West Bromwich Albion/England), Stephen Makinwa (Palermo/Italy), Obafemi Martins (Inter Milan/Italy), Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona/Italy), Peter Odemwingie (Lille/France), John Utaka (Stade Rennes/France).

 

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