We come to the crunch at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, as the first two groups come to a climax in Cote d’Ivoire.
The host nation meet Equatorial Guinea in what could prove a showdown for a Round of 16 place, with Nigeria firmly in the mix going into their match against Guinea-Bissau in Group A.
Group B, meanwhile, has two big guns in a predicament as Egypt face leaders Cape Verde and Ghana go up against Mozambique.
Afcon predictions and fixtures for 22 January
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Equatorial Guinea v Côte d’Ivoire
| Result prediction | Equatorial Guinea to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Equatorial Guinea to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Emilio Nsue(Equatorial Guinea) |
Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria
| Result prediction | Nigeria to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Nigeria / Nigeria to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Nigeria |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Mozambique v Ghana
| Result prediction | Ghana to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Ghana / Ghana to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Ghana |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Group A: Equatorial Guinea vs Cote d’Ivoire – 19.00
It’s all to play for in the combat for knockout qualification at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire on Monday, as the host nation face off with Equatorial Guinea.
The Elephants could be in for an agonizing evening on home turf, with their opponents coming into the final round of fixtures top of Group A.
Anything but a healthy win will see fans glued to their smartphones for news from elsewhere, as second-placed Nigeria play Guinea-Bissau.
The National Thunder smashed Guinea-Bissau in their second pool encounter, winning 4-2 thanks in large part to a hat-trick from Emilio Nsue.
It backed up a handy opening draw with the Nigerians, who went on to edge past the hosts last time out to leave a three-way fight for knockout places.
The Ivorians can be thankful for their own win over the group’s bottom nation on the opening night, giving them a fair swing at reaching the Round of 16.
Group A: Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria – 19.00
Nigeria go into their Group A finale at the Africa Cup of Nations knowing a win could well see them top the pool ahead of the knockout phase of the delayed 2023 tournament.
The Super Eagles were thankful for William Troost-Ekong in their second pool match with host nation Cote d’Ivoire.
He belted in a penalty for the only goal of the game, putting them right in the mix after being held to an opening draw by Equatorial Guinea.
Their opponents have lost both games so far, leaving them needing victory by a significant margin to stand any chance whatsoever of progressing.
Group B: Cape Verde vs Egypt – 22.00
It’s an Africa Cup of Nations scenario that Cape Verde could barely have dreamed of in Group B on Monday, as they go into their final pool fixture against Egypt with six points pocketed and a place in the knockouts secured.
Whether their illustrious opponents will join them is another matter.
Missing Mohamed Salah to a hamstring injury, the Pharaohs realistically need nothing less than a win to seal their passage to the Round of 16 in Cote d’Ivoire.
It could have been even more precarious when they twice went behind to qualification rivals Ghana on Thursday.
But replies from Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed ensured the north Africans would stay a potentially crucial point clear of the Black Stars going into the final round of games.
It could even play into their hands that their island opposition can afford to take their foot off the gas in preparation for their knockout tilt.
Group B: Mozambique vs Ghana – 22.00
Ghana go into their crunch Africa Cup of Nations Group B decider against Mozambique with a deep sense of foreboding on Monday.
The Black Stars have once again flattered to deceive on the Afcon stage, collecting just a point from their matches against table-toppers Cape Verde and Egypt.
It could have been different last week when Mohammed Kudus twice put his side ahead against the Egyptians, who had also lost Mohamed Salah to injury earlier in the contest.
But they were pegged back instead to leave them needing nothing less than a win to stand a chance of making it through to the knockout stage.
Their minnow opponents are in the same position, albeit with an inferior goals aggregate.
That means its all or nothing for the underdogs, which in itself poses a threat to the under-pressure household names on the other half of the team sheet.