Nigeria vs Zambia Pre-game Analysis (Predictions)

[Enugu II]

Here are things to consider (LOL):

1. Nigeria has never lost a game at home when Victor Moses plays.

2. Nigeria has never lost to Zambia in Nigeria.

3. Bia, have we ever lost when Kongi shakes? I do not think so. However, Kongi has not started to shake yet. I am hoping that shaking starts sooner than later.


BUT......

1. Kai, Nigeria has never eliminated Zambia in a tournament qualifier.

[Tbite]

Pull up our World Cup stats as well.

When was the last time we lost in a WCQ? Even the last time we lost, it was because the (then NFA) botched the logistics and planning!

It was the match in Kano in 2004 right? We wouldn't even have lost that much ordinarily!

Edit. I'm glad I brought up the stat in the later post, we lost in Luanda, we drew in Kano. It was still the Kano game that was he killer game though, drawing at home (dropping 2 points), poorly planned match.

[1naija]

Here are things to consider (LOL):

1. Nigeria has never lost a game at home when Victor Moses plays.

2. Nigeria has never lost to Zambia in Nigeria.

3. Bia, have we ever lost when Kongi shakes? I do not think so. However, Kongi has not started to shake yet. I am hoping that shaking starts sooner than later.


BUT......

1. Kai, Nigeria has never eliminated Zambia in a tournament qualifier.

How many times have we been grouped together in a tournament qualifier?

[Tbite]

Aug. 28, 1960, Accra: Ghana 4-1 Nigeria
Sept. 10, 1960, Lagos: Nigeria 2-2 Ghana
Dec. 7, 1968, Lagos: Nigeria 1-1 Cameroon
Dec. 22, 1968, Yaoundé: Cameroon 1-2 Nigeria
May 10, 1969, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-2 Ghana
May 18, 1969, Accra: Ghana 1-1 Nigeria* Nigeria advanced via toss of coin
Sep. 13, 1969, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-2 Sudan
Sep. 21, 1969, Casablanca: Morocco 2-1 Nigeria
Oct. 2, 1969, Khartoum: Sudan 3-3 Nigeria
Nov. 8, 1969, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-0 Morocco. * Morocco advanced, topping a 3-team league involving Nigeria and Sudan.
Aug. 5, 1972, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-1 Congo
Aug. 15 1972, Brazzaville: Congo 1-1 Nigeria
Feb. 10, 1973, Lagos: Nigeria 2-3 Ghana* match ended in riot. Match awarded 2-0 to Ghana
Feb. 25, 1973, Accra: Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
Oct. 16, 1976, Freetown: Sierra Leone 0-0 Nigeria
Oct. 30, 1976, Lagos: Nigeria 6-2 Sierra Leone
Jul. 10, 1977, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Cote d’Ivoire
Jul. 27, 1977, Bouake: Cote d’Ivoire 2-2 Nigeria
Sep. 25, 1977, Tunis: Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria
Oct. 8, 1977, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
Oct. 21, 1977, Cairo: Egypt 3-1 Nigeria
Nov. 12, 1977, Lagos: Nigeria 0-1 Tunisia
June 26, 1980, Tunis: Tunisia 2-0 Nigeria
Jul. 12, 1980, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Tunisia* Nigeria advanced via penalties
Dec. 6, 1980, Lagos: Nigeria 1-1 Tanzania
Dec. 20, 1980, Dar es Salaam: Tanzania 0-2 Nigeria
Apr. 12, 1981, Conakry: Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
Apr. 25, 1981, Lagos: Nigeria 1-0 Guinea
Oct. 10, 1981, Lagos: Nigeria 0-2 Algeria
Oct. 30, 1981, Constantine: Algeria 2-1 Nigeria
Oct. 20, 1984, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Liberia
Nov. 11, 1984, Monrovia: Liberia 0-1 Nigeria
Apr. 7, 1985, Nairobi: Kenya 0-3 Nigeria
Apr. 20, 1985, Lagos: Nigeria 3-1 Kenya
Jul. 6, 1985, Lagos: Nigeria 1-0 Tunisia
Jul. 20, 1985, Tunis: Tunisia 2-0 Nigeria
Jan. 7, 1989, Enugu: Nigeria 1-0 Gabon
Jan 22, 1989, Luanda: Angola 2-2 Nigeria
Jun. 10, 1989, Ibadan: Nigeria 2-0 Cameroon
Jun. 25, 1989, Libreville: Gabon 2-1 Nigeria
Aug. 12, 1989, Lagos: Nigeria 1-0 Angola
Aug. 27, 1989, Yaoundé: Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
Oct. 10, 1992, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 South Africa
Oct. 20, 1992, Pointe Noire: Congo 0-1 Nigeria
Jan. 16, 1993, J’burg: South Africa 0-0 Nigeria
Feb. 27, 1993, Enugu: Nigeria 2-0 Congo
May 2, 1993, Abidjan: Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 Nigeria
Jul. 13, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 4-1 Algeria
Sep. 25, 1993, Lagos: Nigeria 4-1 Cote d’Ivoire
Oct. 8, 1993, Algiers: Algeria 1-1 Nigeria * Nigeria qualified for USA ‘94
Nov. 9, 1996, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Burkina Faso
Jan. 12, 1997, Nairobi: Kenya 1-1 Nigeria
Apr. 5, 1997, Lagos: Nigeria 2-1 Guinea
Apr. 27, 1997, Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso 1-2 Nigeria
Jun. 7, 1997, Lagos: Nigeria 3-0 Kenya * Nigeria qualified for France ’98 with one game to go
Aug. 17, 1997, Conakry: Guinea 1-0 Nigeria
Apr. 9, 2000, Asmara: Eritrea 0-0 Nigeria
Apr. 22, 2000, Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 Eritrea
Jun. 17, 2000, Lagos: Nigeria 2-0 Sierra Leone
Jul. 9, 2000, Monrovia: Liberia 2-1 Nigeria
Jan. 27, 2001, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 3-0 Sudan
Mar. 11, 2001, Accra: Ghana 0-0 Nigeria
Apr. 21, 2001, Freetown: Sierra Leone 1-0 Nigeria
May 5, 2001, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 2-0 Liberia
Jul. 1, 2001, Ombdurman: Sudan 0-4 Nigeria
Jul. 29, 2001, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 3-0 Ghana * Nigeria qualified for Korea/Japan 2002
Jun. 5, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda
Jun. 20, 2004, Luanda: Angola 1-0 Nigeria (Last Defeat)
Jul. 3, 2004, Abuja: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria
Sep. 5. 2004, Harare: Zimbabwe 0-3 Nigeria
Oct. 10. 2004, Libreville: Gabon 1-1 Nigeria
Mar. 26, 2005, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 2-0 Gabon
Jun. 5, 2005, Kigali: Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
Jun. 18, 2005 Kano: Nigeria 1-1 Angola
Sep. 4, 2005, Oran: Algeria 2-5 Nigeria
Oct. 8, 2005, Abuja: Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
Jun. 1, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 South Africa
Jun. 7, 2008, Freetown: Sierra Leone 0-1 Nigeria
Jun. 14, 2008, Malabo: Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Nigeria
Jun. 21, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 Equatorial Guinea
Sep. 6, 2008, Port Elizabeth: South Africa 0-1 Nigeria
Oct. 11, 2008, Abuja: Nigeria 4-1 Sierra Leone
Mar. 29, 2009, Maputo: Mozambique 0-0 Nigeria
Jun. 7, 2009, Abuja: Nigeria 3-0 Kenya
Jun. 20, 2009, Rades: Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria
Sep. 6, 2009, Abuja: Nigeria 2-2 Tunisia
Oct. 11, 2009, Abuja: Nigeria 1-0 Mozambique
Nov. 14, 2009, Nairobi: Kenya 2-3 Nigeria * Nigeria qualify for South Africa 2010
Jun. 1, 2012, Calabar: Nigeria 1-0 Namibia
Jun. 9, 2012, Blantyre: Malawi 1-1 Nigeria
Mar. 23, 2013, Calabar: Nigeria 1-1 Kenya
Jun. 5, 2013, Nairobi: Kenya 0-1 Nigeria
Jun. 12, 2013, Windhoek: Namibia 1-1 Nigeria
Sep. 7, 2013, Calabar: Nigeria 2-0 Malawi
Oct. 13, 2013, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia 1-2 Nigeria
Nov. 16, 2013, Calabar: Nigeria 2-0 Ethiopia Nigeria * Nigeria qualify for Brazil 2014
Nov. 13, 2015, Lobamba: Swaziland 0-0 Nigeria
Nov. 17, 2015, Port Harcourt: Nigeria 2-0 Swaziland
Oct. 9, 2016, Ndola: Zambia 1-2 Nigeria
Nov. 9, 2016, Uyo: Nigeria 3-1 Algeria (100th Qualifying Match)
Sep. 1, 2017, Uyo: Nigeria 4–0 Cameroon
Sep. 4, 2017, Yaoundé: Cameroon 1–1 Nigeria
Oct. 7, 2017, Uyo: Nigeria x-x Zambia
Nov. 6, 2017, Blida/Constantine: Algeria x-x Nigeria

source (rest of the list populated by me)

Nigeria is undefeated in 34 WCQ matches

[Tbite]

Kaii when you look at the record maybe losing to Angola was a blessing in disguise, before that period our record was up and down!

That was really a turning point for us.

Another record (if I haven't missed anything), last time we lost at home in World Cup Qualifying was 1981!

36 Years ago!

[Robotnik]

Zambia cannot win this match. Its like Nigeria vs Argentina in Argentina lol

[metalalloy]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

[Robotnik]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

[Cito]

My pre-match Analysis:

[1] A potentially difficult game for Nigeria that can be made easy if we execute our game plan perfectly. True
[2] Zambia has not lost an away game in the qualifiers so far. We havent lost in a verrryyyyy long time
[3] Their new attack is 80% as lethal as Nigeria's (last 2 matches) A weak Algeria is not a barometer for measuring their efficiency. Did you watch Algeria's defense?
[4] Their midfield is better as they move the ball around quicker and they have the more mobile players.No they are mor mobile but not experienced enough
[5] Zambia's defense is relatively porous when they don't sit back. Sit back or go for it, their defence is average at best.
[6] In bunker mode, Zambia have conceded 1 goal (vs Algeria at home) in 3 games.They were in that mode when we scored 2 before they woke up
[7] If Zambia score first it will be difficult for Nigeria to find a goal. Their defense is average
[8] This means Nigeria will have to score first to increase chances of winning. No matter which order the first score is, Nigeria will beat them
[9] Nigeria has not lost a world cup qualifier since 1-0 loss to Angola in 2004
[10] Nigeria has not lost a world cup qualifier at home since God knows when. Thus a loss at home to Zambia is highly unlikely.
[11] Zambia have a wind of confidence following their back to back wins over Algeria. Zambia will be fired up, but so will Nigeria.Read some of the forums writeup from Zambia and people are telling others that if they think they will win in Nigeria then they are delusional and that is a fact.
[12] Nigeria have improved since the last time the two teams met and following their win over Cameroon will be in full confidence at home.
[13] Zambia are condemned to win to stand a chance of qualifying and will fight all game.
[14] Zambia's new team are a more effective attacking force that will put the Nigeria defense on their toes throughout the encounter. No they are more attletic than effective
[15] Nigeria usually has a slow start and Rohr team is setup to defend by default. So in the first five mins or so Zambia will come calling hoping to score an early goal and then close shop.
[16] Nigeria will probably create more chances than Zambia in the game. A goal for Nigeria changes the direction of the game and usually sets the team in cruising mode at home.
[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.
[18] Apart from team selection, the 0-2 loss to South Africa was partly due to the failure of Nigeria to score first thus allowing SA to grow in confidence.
[19] Zambians will see more of the ball when chasing the game but cannot afford to fall into the trap set for Algeria and Cameroon. Should they go all out in attack they are most likely to get hurt by the Nigerias counter.
[20] Zambia usually plays with a 'crowded' midfield Nigeria and will snuff out counter threats so Nigeria will have to get joy by going through the wings as they do.
[21] With Mikel as the lone attacking midfielder Zambia will dominate the area as such Rohr would have to bring in a player like Etebo/Iwobi to shore up the area in the attacking phase.
[22] The Nigerian defense has proven hard nut to crack and have conceded an average of 0.75 goals a game. Three goals conceded were via a defensive error, long ranger, and penalty give away.
[23] If Nigerias defensive midfield and defense produce a consistent performance Zambia will have to dig deep to get a goal in Nigeria.
[24] Zambia's attack have scored 4 goals in 2 matches meaning there is a potentially a goal for Zambia in this match. So Nigerias goal keeper will need to have a error free game to ensure victory on the day. Not really the case, Nigeria has a better team in all departments of the game maybe except the goalkeeping department

Verdict: Nigeria wins. Home advantage is a significant factor
If Nigeria score first (2-1, 2-0)
If Zambia score first the worst result for Nigeria will be a draw (1-1)


Goal Keeping: Nigeria 7/10, Zambia 7/10 8/10
Defense: Nigeria 8/10, Zambia 7/10 6/10
Defensive Midfield: Nigeria 8/10, Zambia 8/10 7/10
Attacking Midfield: Nigeria 7/10, Zambia 8/10 6/10
Attack: Nigeria 9/10, Zambia 7/10

[metalalloy]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

[Robbynice]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

My brother I wonder o...smdh

[Bigpokey24]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

me sef dey wait for the bobo anwser

[Robotnik]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

Ok. I think the word you are looking for is 'Desperate'. That's what I meant.

[bushboy]

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

I understand his sentiment. The longer the game goes at 0-0, the more it means that they (Zambia) only need to score once and we will be more difficult for us to reply because we have less time to do it in. Football is crazy. An own goal, a defensive blunder, a deflected shot, anything!! It's all they need to escape with a 1-0 win. I definitely don't want to be watching a 0-0 game in the 80th minute with Zambia pressing hard. The tension would be unbearable!!

[gurrano]

Bottom line is that our destiny is in our hands and we have the drivers seat. If we cannot take care of business against Zambia with our current standing and home advantage then maybe we do not deserve to be at the World cup after all.

[17] Nigeria will dominate the Zambians with the scoreline at 0-0 or if chasing the game in the first half. But the longer the game stays at 0-0 the more confident the Zambians will become.

Don't we just need a draw to effectively qualify with the GD we have? Why would get they more confident the longer the game stays at 0-0, a result that benefits us? Do you really see them trashing Cameroun 5-0?

Zambia need a win

So i repeat my question. Why would someone who needs a win get more confident the longer a game remains 0-0?

I understand his sentiment. The longer the game goes at 0-0, the more it means that they (Zambia) only need to score once and we will be more difficult for us to reply because we have less time to do it in. Football is crazy. An own goal, a defensive blunder, a deflected shot, anything!! It's all they need to escape with a 1-0 win. I definitely don't want to be watching a 0-0 game in the 80th minute with Zambia pressing hard. The tension would be unbearable!!

[bushboy]

^^^
I agree with you. I'm just saying I understand where the fear of a late 0-0 game comes from.

[Robotnik]

I also predict a penalty in the match

[1naija]

I also predict a penalty in the match

TB Robitussin, how about predicting there will be a corner kick also while you are at it?