Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast will battle for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title on Sunday in an epic final which is a clash of African giants at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
The last time the two sides met, Nigeria beat the hosts 1-0 in the group stage through a spot kick from William Troost-Ekong.
But Ivory Coast will not give up easily, especially in front of their home fans. They are aiming for their third AFCON trophy and will pose a formidable challenge for Nigeria.
The final will also be a tactical duel between the two managers, Jose Peseiro of Nigeria and Emerse Fae of Ivory Coast. Peseiro led Nigeria to a dramatic penalty shootout win over South Africa in the semi-finals, while Fae guided Ivory Coast to a narrow 1-0 victory over DR Congo.
Fae took up reigns as the Ivorian coach after the football federation sacked Jean-Louis Gasset following their 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea.
The new coach has however seems change of fortune for the host nations – who only made it to the round of 16 as the last of the best losers.
In their first knockout game, they saw off defending champions Senegal via penalty shootout before a late rally saw them overcome Mali in the quarter-final.
