FootyDream

place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be on the line on Tuesday when West African rivals Nigeria and Ghana square off at the M.K.O Abiola National Stadium.

Following Friday’s draw Ghana have now failed to win any of their last five games across all competitions, while Nigeria have managed just one win in their last five home games.

Match preview

The spoils were a shared in an uneventful goalless draw when Ghana and Nigeria locked horns in the first-leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff tie last Friday.

In a drab contest at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, both sides were guilty of a lethargic display and lack of cutting edge at the attacking end of the pitch as they settled for a draw, leaving all to play for on Tuesday.

Prior to that, the Super Eagles enjoyed a fine group-stage campaign, winning four and claiming one draw from six games to collect 13 points and finish top of Group C, two points above runners-up Cape Verde.

However, Nigeria now return to home soil where they have struggled to get going, claiming just two wins from their last nine games since 2019, while losing three and claiming four draws in that time.

On the other hand, Friday’s draw came fresh off the back of a disappointing run at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Ghana were dumped out in the group stages with just one point from three games.

Austine Eguavoen’s men, who are currently 32nd in the latest FIFA World Rankings, will look to end this dry spell and equal Cameron’s record for the most represented African nation in the history of the World Cup with seven appearances.

Otto Addo’s men have now failed to taste victory in any of their last five outings across all competitions, losing three and claiming two draws since a 1-0 victory over South Africa back in November.

However, the Black Stars head into Tuesday’s game following a fine run in the group stages of the qualifiers, claiming 13 points from an available 18 to finish top of Group G and edge out South Africa on goal difference.

While they will look to cause an upset in Abuja and become one of five sides to head to Qatar later in the year, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in any of their previous five meetings between the sides, losing three and claiming two draws since a 1-0 victory back in 2006.

Team News

Following a toothless display in the final third last Friday, Eguavoen could make a few changes in attack, and one of them could be Leicester City man Ademola Lookman coming in for Moses Simon.

The 24-year-old, who came off the bench for his debut after recently switching nationalities, could team up with Emmanuel Dennis and fellow Leicester City teammate Kelechi Iheanacho all behind Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

At the opposite end of the pitch, skipper and Watford defender William Troost-Ekong should make his 60th appearance for the Super Eagles, standing at the heart of the four-man defence and shielding Francis Uzoho between the sticks.

Meanwhile, Ghana will be boosted by the return of veteran forward and skipper Andre Ayew, who is now available for selection after missing the first leg through suspension.

We expect the 32-year-old to immediately return to the XI, starting alongside brother Jordan Ayew and Roma youngster Felix Afena-Gyan at the attacking end of the pitch.

Thomas Partey, who boasts 39 senior caps for the Black Stars, will once again anchor the midfield, teaming up with Ajax youngster Mohammed Kudus and Mallorca man Iddrisu Baba.

Denis Odoi made his national team debut on Friday and we expect the experienced full-back to retain his spot at right-back, with Daniel Amartey, Alexander Djiku and Gideon Mensah completing the backline.

Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Uzoho; Aina, Troost-Ekong, Balogun, Bassey; Onyeka, Aribo; Lookman, Iheanacho, Dennis; Osimhen

Ghana possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; G. Mensah, Amartey, Djiku, Odoi; Partey, Baba, Kudus; J Ayew, Afena-Gyan, I. Fatawu

Date, kick-off time and venue

The World Cup play-off second leg match is scheduled for Tuesday March 29. 2022.

Kick-off time is 1700 (5pm) Local Time in Abuja or 1600 (4pm) Ghana time.

The Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja will host the game.

Where to watch Nigeria vs Ghana

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on GTV Sports+ and SuperSport

Live stream: FIFA Youtube Channel offers a live stream service for the countries that don’t have the rights for the qualifiers.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Nigeria wins: 10

Draws: 19

Ghana wins: 21

The National Sports Authority (NSA) has disclosed that Ghana had an amount of Gh¢1.4million from Nigeria clash in Kumasi last Friday.

Ghana hosted Nigeria in the first leg of the 2022 World Cup playoff at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last Friday.
The 40,000 capacity stadium was full to the brim despite the challenges spectators faced with the introduction of the electronic ticketing.

Even though the stadium was full to capacity, the Black Stars failed to score a single goal at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, with the game ending in a goalless stalemate.

And according to the NSA, the match clocked a whooping Gh¢1.4m as gate proceeds equivalent to $190,000.00 which happens to be the highest amount recorded from ticket sales from many national football matches in the country’s history books.

Meanwhile, the Black Stars have landed in Abuja for the second leg of the playoff at the Moshood Abiola Sports Stadium.

With a chartered flight, the Black Stars touched down in Abuja on Monday afternoon to continue preparations for the second leg fixture scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2022.

Ghana will need a win or anything a scoring draw to secure a ticket to the FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar later this year.

-Kyfilla

Ghana’s contingent has safely arrived in Abuja for the 2^nd leg of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off tie against Nigeria. The team which departed the Kumasi Airport around 11:30am touched down at 13:30 (Nigeria time).

Coach Otto Addo’s men are expected to train at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium – Abuja, at 17:00 GMT.

With the exception of Edmund Addo who missed the 1^st leg due to injury, all the 26 invited players made the trip to Nigeria.

They included:

Goalkeepers:

Lawrence Ati Zigi, Joseph Wollacot, Nurudeen Manaf, Richard Ofori

Defenders:

Dennis Odoi, Gideon Mensah, Andy Yiadom, Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey, Joseph Aidoo, Montari Kamaheni, Mumin Suleman, Dennis Korsah

 Midfielders:

Idrissu Baba, Mohammed Kudus, Elisha Owusu, Thomas Partey, Daniel Kofi Kyereh

Wingers/Strikers:

Felix Afena Gyan, Jordan Ayew, Christopher Antwi Adjei, Issahaku Abdul Fatawu, Kwasi Okyere Wreidt, Osman Bukari, Yaw Yeboah, Joseph Paintsil.

The first leg ended 0-0 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi last Thursday setting the stage for an epic showdown in Abuja.