Equatorial Guinea and Guinea will go toe-to-toe with each other in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024). Which of these sides will advance to the quarter-final when all is said and done?
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea overview
This Round of 16 match will be played on Sunday January 28 at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Abidjan. Kick-off time is 6 pm WAT.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea were one of the biggest surprise packages of the AFCON 2024 group stages. They emerged as Group A leaders, despite being paired with Nigeria's Super Eagles and the Elephants of Ivory Coast.
Juan Micha's troops will set their sights on a quarter-final spot as they go up against Guinea.
Guinea
On the other hand, the Syli National of Guinea finished third in Group C, behind defending champions Senegal and five-time AFCON champions Cameroon. They will have to defeat Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea for a place in the last eight.
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea head to head
Unlike the other Round of 16 match-ups, this will be the first meeting between Equatorial Guinea and Guinea. This is a bit surprising considering both teams have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations a fair few times in the last 12 years.
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea potential lineups
All eyes will be on Emilio Nsue, who has perhaps been the most impressive player at this tournament. The 34-year-old is the top scorer in this competition with five goals, it's even more impressive considering he plays as a defender for a club in the third tier of Spanish football.
Nsue is expected to be the lone forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Likewise, Kaba Diawara will likely adopt the same formation for Guinea, with Serhou Guirassy leading the charge. The Stuttgart player is one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga this season.
On that note, these are our probable Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea lineups:
Equatorial Guinea
Goalkeeper: Jesus Owono.
Defenders: Carlos Akapo, Esteban Obiang, Saul
Coco, Basilio Ndong.
Midfielders: Iban Salvador, Pablo Ganet, Federico
Bikoro, Jannick Buyla, José Machín.
Forwards: Emilio Nsue.
Guinea
Goalkeeper: Ibrahim Koné.
Defenders: Antonio Conte, Saidow Sow, Mohamed
Camara, Issiaga Sylla.
Midfielders: Seydouba Cisse, Amadou Diawara, Naby
Keita, Aguibou Cámara, Facinet Conté.
Forwards: , Serhou Guirassy.
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea tactical analysis
Equatorial Guinea have won back-to-back games, with no losses in their last 13 matches across all competitions. They've been clinical in front of goal lately, scoring eight times in their last two matches alone.
Conversely, Nzalang Nacional conceded a goal per game on average in their last four matches.
On the other hand, Guinea amassed four points in the group stages, they scored just twice whilst conceding three times.
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea prediction
To be fair, the Syli National of Guinea held their own against Nigeria and Cameroon in recent weeks. However, they looked lost against Senegal, registering four total shots in 90 minutes of play, with just one of those going on target.
Meanwhile Equatorial Guinea are coming off a statement 4-0 victory over Ivory Coast. Nzalang Nacional are just too hot at the moment, so we believe they'll come out on top at the end of this game.
Where to watch Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea live
Fans who reside in Equatorial Guinea will be available to watch this game on Supersport, while those in Guinea can catch all the action live on RTG and Canal+.
