The upcoming Africa Cup of Nations clash between Ivory Coast and Nigeria is poised to be a contest dominated by midfield prowess, with both teams relying on key players to control the crucial area of the pitch.

In Ivory Coast’s convincing 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau, coach Jean-Louis Gasset fielded a midfield trio comprising Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangaré, Al Ahli’s Franck Kessié, and Al Nassr’s Seko Fofana. On the other side, Nigeria’s midfield against Equatorial Guinea featured Frank Onyeka, Alhassan Yusuf, and Alex Iwobi.

A significant question mark hangs over Nigeria’s midfield setup for the forthcoming clash, as Yusuf is ruled out due to an injury sustained in the previous match. Onyeka recognizes the pivotal role he plays in the absence of Yusuf and looks forward to the challenge of facing Ivory Coast’s formidable midfield trio.

Most notably, Sangaré, Kessié, and Fofana are familiar faces to Onyeka from their encounters in European leagues. Speaking to reporters in Abidjan, Onyeka highlighted the familiarity with the Ivorian midfielders, stating, “Most of us here play against those guys in Europe.”

Despite acknowledging the tough nature of the impending match, Onyeka expressed excitement about the prospect of facing Ivory Coast’s midfield stars. As the top tackler in the Nigeria vs. Equatorial Guinea game, recording a game-high four tackles, Onyeka is primed for the challenge and anticipates an intriguing battle in the middle of the park during the highly anticipated encounter.