African players in Europe return to help their country prepare for the African Cup of Nations which is going to hold in the year 2021 in Cameroon. Footballers all over Europe are on an international break and as the Europeans prepare for the Euro 2020 Africans are also preparing for AFCON 2021. The group stage games start with the host playing Cape Verde while Nigeria host Benin Republic in Uyo. Burkina Faso will also be playing Uganda later in the evening. Over here we will be giving the match preview and predictions based on their current form.
Cameroon vs Cape Verde
Cameroon will be hosting Cape Verde in their Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium this evening to start their AFCON campaign. The Indomitable Lions, by virtue of them hosting it, they already have an automatic ticket for the 2021 tournament as the home country. We are positive that they will go all out blazing against the visitors Cape Verde. The Cameroonians are a real force to be reckoned with at home, and being that they are playing at home a home win should be considered. But head coach Toni must warn his troops against complacency when they play.
Read also: AFCON 2021 Qualifiers: Nigeria Host Benin Republic in Uyo
PSG attacker Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will be the man to watch in the home team, and he is likely to prove to be a handful for the opposition defenders. Cape Verde Islands, on the other hand, aim to build on a 2-1 win over Togo in their last warm-up game. But beating Cameroon in Yaounde won’t be an easy task. In their last meeting in a competitive match, Cameroon recorded a 2-1 win over Cape Verde Islands. We believe the visitors will still go home without a win in the game against the Cameroonians.
Nigeria vs Benin
After an excellent performance in the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt, Nigeria is set for yet another successful campaign. The Super Eagles did well to win the bronze medal at the showpiece tournament in Egypt earlier this summer. They also did well in all their international friendlies including a draw with Brazil.
Nigeria now aims to book a place in the 2021 African Cup of Nations. Cameroon will be hosting the tournament, one player to look out for in the Nigerian team will be Everton star player Alex Iwobi. He is likely to pose a big threat to the opposition defenders.
Benin, on the other hand, were producing excellent performances at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation. The team made to the quarter-finals of the tournament but lost to Senegal on penalty shout out. However, seeing that Nigeria will be playing at home and they are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we predict a home win. Michel Dussuyer’s troops will prove though but in any case, they are going to return home empty-handed from the trip to Uyo.
Burkina Faso vs Uganda
Burkina Faso will Host Uganda this evening to start their African Cup of Nations Campaign. They are to play the visitors in their Du 4 Aout Stadium. The two teams who face each other at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be battling again to get a first-place ticket to the 2021 AFCON. Burkina Faso missed out on a place at the 2019 tournament, and, no doubt, they are determined to make amends. A man to watch in the home team will be Olympique Lyon attacker Bertrand Traore.
The 24-year-old is however failed to open his goal-scoring account in the 2019/2020 Ligue 1 campaign. This match could just be the be to start with, the former Ajax man is likely to captain the team and lead them to glory. Uganda, on the other hand, has been producing fine performances in 2019. They beat Ethiopia 1-0 in their last friendly game and are ready to continue in their onslaught. In their last meeting at Stade du 4 Aout Burkina Faso recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Uganda. We believe that history is likely to repeat itself.
