Cybereagles

Of the ten groups made known today, the most difficult group is surely Group D based on the most current FIFA ranks. Group D has the highest average rank when compared to the others (see Table 1). and the two top ranked teams in that group have the smallest differential of -8 (see Table 3) signifying a tough battle between the top two teams. Top teams with differential of -27 or below are most likely to face grim battles to finish top.

As for Osimhen, one must acknowledge that his play so far has been more assuring than Ighalo's. But Ighalo was the top scorer going into the 2019 AFCON and at the AFCON itself. While that isn't an easy accomplishment to match, Osimhen's explosive display against Lesotho may have been the most dominant performance of any striker in a Nigerian game, bar none. That is not a light statement to make when one realizes that this includes the best of Rashidi Yekini and the best of Thompson Usiyan.

Of the three group opponents, Nigeria has played far more frequently against Liberia. In all those games, Nigeria was clearly the better team except in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup when a George Weah-led Liberia nearly reached the World Cup finals ahead of Nigeria. However, this Liberian team is nothing close to the 2002 team. It is a poor team that is now ranked No. 152 in the world. However, underrate them at your own peril. In their most recent international, they shocked Egypt 1-0 in Cairo.