We’re heading towards the sharp end of the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, with the first pair of quarter-finals on Friday night.
Nigeria are strong contenders but the Super Eagles will have to be wary of surprise package Angola when they meet in their last eight contest.
Then it’s the turn of DR Congo and Guinea, who face off with an Afcon semi-final place on the line.
Afcon quarter-final predictions and fixtures for 2 February
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Nigeria v Angola
| Result prediction | Angola to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Angola to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Mabululu(Angola) Gelson Dala(Angola) |
Congo DR v Guinea
| Result prediction | Congo DR to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Congo DR / Congo DR to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Nigeria vs Angola – 19.00
A place in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals is at stake as Nigeria and Angola clash in the last eight in Cote d’Ivoire on Friday evening.
The Super Eagles come into the contest as favourites but need to be on their mettle against a nation that has hit form at exactly the right time.
Ademola Lookman scored twice to ensure safe passage through the Round of 16 for the Nigerians, as they eased past Cameroon in a 2-0 victory.
And they will also expect to see more of Vincent Aboubakar, with the star striker nearing his return to full fitness after injury.
The West African giants had earlier progressed from Group A comfortably enough, demoting host nation Cote d’Ivoire into third place in the pool.
It’s a surprise their seven-point haul wasn’t enough to top the standings, with that honour going to free-scoring Equatorial Guinea.
Angola are on the Afcon march and will come into this one full of confidence, not least thanks to their impressive Round of 16 effort against Namibia.
A 3-0 victory belied the early red card dished out to goalkeeper Neblu for a handball outside his penalty area.
Gelson Dala scored twice in response, before Mabululu made things safe in the second half.
The Angolans had already topped a competitive Group D, going unbeaten to finish above Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Algeria, as the 2019 champions tumbled out at the first hurdle for the second time running.
DR Congo vs Guinea – 22.00
If the drama served up by DR Congo and Guinea so far is anything to go by, we could be in for a late, late show in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Friday night.
Both nations went the distance in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was the hero for the Leopards against Egypt, scoring the decisive, 18th penalty kick of a marathon shootout to send his side through at the expense of the Mohamed Salah-less Pharaohs.
Meschack Elia had earlier headed the Congolese into a first half lead, only for a controversial penalty for the Egyptians to take the game all the way.
Their opponents took advantage of wasteful Equatorial Guinea, setting pulses racing right at the last moment.
Mohamed Bayo headed the only goal of the game in the 98th minute, after earlier seeing a penalty kick crash away off their own left-hand post.
It keeps the dream alive for the unfancied nation, who sneaked into the last 16 by virtue of a third-placed finish in Group C.
A draw with Cameroon and a sneaky win over Gambia did the trick, meaning a defeat to reigning Afcon champions Senegal in their final game proved no barrier to their progress.
The Congolese, meanwhile, have reached this stage of the tournament despite not yet winning a fixture in regulation time.
They came through as runners-up in Group F after stalemates with pool winners Morocco, Zambia and Tanzania.