Nigeria vs Ghana: Kick-off, TV channel, squad news and preview
Nigeria welcome Ghana to the MKO Abiola Stadium for the second leg of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification play-off.
Having settled for a 0-0 draw at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi - the Super Eagles know that an outright victory over the Black Stars will earn them a ticket to Qatar.
Although they are underdogs heading into this make or break derby, Otto Addo’s men are eyeing an upset to qualify for the global football showpiece for the fourth time in their history.
Odion Ighalo - who missed the first leg due to ‘tactical reasons’ alongside Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are expected to lead the 2013 African champions’ charge for goals on Tuesday night.
On the other hand, the Ghanaians have 26 players to choose from except for Sheriff Tiraspol midfielder Edmund Addo who suffered a thigh setback during training.
| Game | Nigeria vs Ghana |
| Date | Friday, March 29 |
| Time | 18:00 WAT |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
This match will be live-streamed on Fifa's YouTube Channel here.
You can also watch the game in Africa on TV through SuperSport and various local broadcasters.
| Nigeria TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| AIT, SuperSport, NTA | NFF TV, Fifa YouTube |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Nigeria squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Francis Uzoho (AC Omonia), Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs), John Noble (Sparta Rotterdam) |
| Defenders | Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion), Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes), Leon Balogun (Rangers), William Ekong (Watford), Olaoluwa Aina (Torino), Calvin Bassey (Rangers), Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia), Zaidu Sanusi (Porto) |
| Midfielders | Frank Onyeka (Brentford), Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Rangers), Innocent Bonke (Lorient), Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford), Akinkunmi Amoo (FC Copenhagen) |
| Forwards | Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk), Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal), Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Moses Simon (FC Nantes), Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria), Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Hilal), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Emmanuel Dennis (Watford), Ademola Lookman (Leicester City) |
Potential Nigeria XI: Uzoho, Balogun, Troost-Ekong, Aina, Zaidu, Onyeka, Aribo, Etebo, Simon, Dennis, Osimhen
| Position | Ghana squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Joseph Wollacott (Swindon Town), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen), Lawrence Ati Zigi (St Gallen), Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates) |
| Defenders | Denis Odoi (FC Brugge), Andy Yiadom (Reading), Gideon Mensah (Bordeaux), Dennis Korsah (Hearts of Oak), Montari Kamaheni (Ashdod FC), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Joseph Aidoo (Bordeaux), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg), Abdul Mumin (Victoria Guimaraes) |
| Midfielders | Iddrisu Baba (RCD Mallorca), Edmund Addo (FC Sherif), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), Elisha Owusu (KAA Gent), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Daniel Kofi Kyereh (FC St. Pauli) |
| Forwards | Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Sporting), Osman Bukari (Nantes), Joseph Paintsil (KRC Gent), Yaw Yeboah (Columbus Crew), Felix Afena Gyan (Roma), Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Kwasi Wriedt (Holstein Kiel) |
Potential Ghana XI: Wollacott, Odoi, Amartey, Djiku, Mensah, Partey, Baba, Kudus, Ayew, Fatawu, Ohene-Gyan
Betting & Match Odds
Nigeria are 1.97 favourites to win with Betking. Ghana's chances of winning are rated at 5.00 and a draw is available at 3.05.
Click here to see all of Betking's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
Notwithstanding their inability to make home advantage count in Kumasi, Ghana are not ruling themselves out of a place in Qatar.
According to Gideon Mensah, Augustine Eguavoen’s men will be facing a different brand of Black Stars at the MKO Abiola Stadium.
“We had a fighting spirit in the first leg in Kumasi and the game ended goalless, so we have won nothing,” he told the media.
“We are here to push more and give more fighting spirit so you should expect something more than we did in Kumasi.
“We are not thinking about Ghana not qualifying, we are qualifying obviously.”
If the report from the visitors’ camp is anything to go by, coach Addo is likely going to name an unchanged starting lineup in Abuja.
The Super Eagles, on the other hand, will probably miss the services of Samuel Chukwueze and Lorient’s Innocent Bonke due to injury worries, nevertheless, they boast a depth of quality players to get the job done.
Meanwhile, Ighalo stated that his teammates have no choice but to silence the four-time African kings to actualise their dreams of making a seventh World Cup appearance.
“We know we are condemned to win at home and if we want to go to the World Cup we have to win,” he said.
"We know it is going to be a difficult game, it's going to be a tough one but the boys are ready to go.”
While Nigeria have secured three wins, one draw and just one defeat in their last five matches in all competitions, Ghana have failed to win a single match - losing thrice and settling for draws on two occasions.
The Black Stars’ last visit to Nigeria in a World Cup qualification match ended in a 3-0 defeat at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt with a brace from Tijani Babangida inspiring the victory.