Nigeria - South Africa predictions and free betting tips [07/06/2024]

On Friday, 7 June, as part of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Nigeria will host South Africa. The hosts currently hold the fourth spot in Group C with two points, while the visitors trail group leaders Rwanda by just one point.

Stadium

The match will take place at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Nigeria

After a spectacular main phase in the African Cup of Nations, Nigeria suffered an unfortunate 2-1 defeat to hosts Ivory Coast in the final. Under the guidance of Finidi George, Nigeria is vying for their seventh World Cup berth in history, having participated in three out of the last four global tournaments, except the one in Qatar.

The white and green team won a friendly against Ghana 2-1 in March but succumbed to a crushing defeat by Mali (2-0). Last November, they disappointed fans by drawing against Lesotho and Zimbabwe with identical scores of 1-1 in the initial stage of the qualifiers. Notably, the hosts have scored more than once only once in their last five matches across all competitions.

South Africa

South Africa also performed commendably in the African Cup of Nations, reaching the semi-finals only to lose to Nigeria on penalties. However, they redeemed themselves by winning the third-place playoff against the Democratic Republic of Congo, again in a penalty shootout. In March, "Bafana Bafana" had a subpar showing, drawing with Andorra (1-1) and playing to a 3-3 draw with Algeria in friendlies.

The red and green team started the World Cup qualifiers well last November by defeating Benin 2-1, but then faced a heavy defeat against Rwanda (2-0). Key to their recent progress has been defensive improvements, as they conceded only three goals in their last seven matches this year, keeping five clean sheets. It is important to note that South Africa struggles away from home, securing only one victory in regulation time out of their last eight away matches.

Head-to-Head

Historically, Nigeria has dominated fixtures against South Africa, winning four and drawing five of their last 10 encounters.

Match Prediction: Nigeria vs South Africa

In recent years, South Africa has become a tough nut to crack in African football, even breaking into the top ten African nations in the FIFA rankings. However, the hosts have a much superior squad and recently reached the African Nations Cup final. Nigeria urgently needs to secure points as they trail the top spot by five points. I am backing a home victory for the favourites.

Prediction on Total Goals

In five of their last six head-to-head meetings, these teams have both found the net. Even though Nigeria is superior in class, their defence remains a concern – I am predicting "Both Teams to Score."

Prediction on Corners

With the home crowd's support, Nigeria will attack more vigorously, so I confidently back Nigeria to win on corners with a -1.5 handicap.

Prediction on Yellow Cards

In their last four head-to-head encounters, these teams have combined for just six yellow cards, so I confidently place a wager on the total yellows being under 3.5.

Score Prediction

I predict a 2-1 win for Nigeria.