The Super Eagles of Nigeria, will engage the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations finals (AFCON 2024) at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé on Sunday.
Jose Peseiro's side is unbeaten in the tournament thus far and booked their place in the final by edging out South Africa in a dramatic penalty shootout in their semi-final fixture.
Ivory Coast, on the other hand, had to lean on Lady Luck to book qualification to the knockout phase as one of the best third-placed teams and have not looked back since Emerse Fae took over from Jean-Louis Gasset as manager of the team.
They defeated DR Congo in the semi-final to book a date with Nigeria.
Ahead of the epic clash, former Ivory Coast manager Jean-Louis Gasset has tipped the Super Eagles to emerge as victors in the final. The 70-year-old cited two reasons to support his claim.
Why Gasset thinks Super Eagles are AFCON favourites
Gasset, who was ousted by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) after the Elephants' 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their last Group A match, asserts that Nigeria hold the edge over his former team.
He attributes this to Nigeria's possession of Victor Osimhen and their higher ranking in Africa.
“Ivory Coast is not favourites because Nigeria is higher ranked in Africa and have Osimhen, the best African Player of the Year,” Gasset asserted confidently.
As he looked back on his time with the Elephants, Gasset expressed a sense of satisfaction and pride.
“My departure brought peace,” he revealed, indicating a sense of closure and contentment with the situation.
Super Eagles and the Elephants in another AFCON clash
The two giants of African football have already clashed in the competition, having been drawn into Group A.
In a matchday 2 fixture, the Super Eagles faced the host nation, securing victory thanks to a second-half penalty converted by skipper William Troost-Ekong.
Interestingly, Gasset was at the helm of the Ivory Coast team that suffered defeat against the Super Eagles on that occasion.
