It’s knockout time at the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, as the Round of 16 kicks off on Saturday.
A huge clash between Nigeria and Cameroon takes centre stage on Saturday night, in a contest between the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions that would be worthy of the final in two weeks’ time.
The starter course is no dud either, with another pair of local rivals going head-to-head in the shape of Angola and Namibia with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Angola vs Namibia – 19.00
The Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 has thrown up a surprise derby on Saturday, as neighbours Angola and Namibia face off for a place in the quarter-finals.
Both have arguably exceeded expectations already in Cote d’Ivoire, in an event where there have already been a number of big-name casualties at the first hurdle.
The Angolans are a dangerous prospect having emerged from an unpredictable Group D unbeaten and top of the pile.
An opening draw with 2019 Afcon champions Algeria felt like a low watermark for their opponents, for whom it got far worse as they went on to tumble out of the competition at the group stage for the second time running.
And then came a pair of precious victories for the Black Sable Antelopes.
First a dramatic, 3-2 success against surprise package Mauritania, before they kept a clean sheet in seeing off much-fancied Burkina Faso 2-0 to breeze into the knockouts.
Namibia gave themselves a fantastic opportunity to progress in their first Group E assignment.
The underdogs stunned Tunisia with a win by the only goal, setting the Carthage Eagles on the path to an ignominious exit at the first hurdle.
A 4-0 reverse at the hands of local rivals South Africa threatened to undo that good work, but in clinging on for a notable draw against Mali, they came through safely as one of the best third-placed finishers.
Nigeria vs Cameroon – 22.00
A monumental Africa Cup of Nations battle lights up the Round of 16 on Saturday night, as former champions Nigeria and Cameroon go head-to-head in a heated derby Cote d’Ivoire.
It’s a knockout showdown between the west African neighbours that last lifted the Afcon trophy in 2013 and 2017 respectively.
And for the Super Eagles, it was a relatively drama-free journey through Group A to qualify.
An awkward opening draw with Equatorial Guinea has since been put into context, with their opponents going on to top the pool on goal difference.
But that was as rough as it got for the continental giants.
A slender victory over the host nation in Abidjan put them in great shape to make it through to the knockouts, before a repeat trick against Guinea-Bissau sealed the deal for a second-placed finish in their bid to win a fourth African title.
It was a different story for the Indomitable Lions, who were on the brink of a disastrous tournament exit having picked up just a sole point from their opening two matches.
An opening draw with Guinea wasn’t a complete disaster, but a 3-1 loss to reigning champions Senegal left the five-time continental kings on the brink of despair.
Then came the late show for Rigobert Song’s spirited side.
A madcap closing ten minutes saw them pull level at 2-2 via an own goal against Gambia, before Christopher Wooh became the hero with what proved to be an injury time winner amid VAR controversy and much more besides.
It gives them the perfect momentum to take into their tussle with their border rivals in green and white.
Afcon Round of 16 predictions and fixtures for 27 January
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Angola v Namibia
| Result prediction | Angola to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Angola / Angola to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Nigeria v Cameroon
| Result prediction | Cameroon to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Nigeria / Cameroon to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |