Friendly in name but rarely in nature, Ghana and Nigeria are set to rekindle their fierce rivalry when they face off at the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday evening in the Unity Cup.
Matches between these two West African giants are never short on intensity, with football serving as just one of the many battlegrounds in a long-running contest that stretches into cuisine, music and culture.
GHANA
Lagging in the ‘Jollof Derby’ of late, Ghana now have a chance to restore some lost pride, having failed to win any of the last four encounters against their perennial foes across all competitions.
That run began with a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of the 2022 African Nations Championship qualifier, although the Black Stars still advanced on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline.
Next came a 2-1 defeat in a March 2023 friendly staged in Marrakech, and there was little respite in their CHAN double-header at the end of 2024 either, with a goalless draw at home followed by a 3-1 loss in the return leg, which confirmed Ghana’s absence from the competition proper.
NIGERIA
On the other hand, Nigeria will be present at the continental championship after finishing top of Group D in the preliminaries, but their World Cup journey has been far from smooth, with fears growing that the Super Eagles could miss out on successive tournaments.
The sting of their 2022 exit still lingers: a 1-1 aggregate draw with Ghana in the final playoff round saw the three-time AFCON champions fall short on away goals, and their current campaign remains uncertain under Eric Chelle‘s watch, with results offering little clarity so far.
The Malian-born coach, who took charge in January, began his tenure with a promising 2-0 win away to Rwanda, but the optimism quickly faded following a frustrating 1-1 home draw against Zimbabwe, a result that leaves the Super Eagles fourth in their group and six points off the summit.
PREDICTION
The last time these two sides met on neutral ground in a friendly, they both found the net — and while Nigeria edged that contest, the Super Eagles lack strong momentum this time around, so a draw appears to be the most likely outcome.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
