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.
Match preview
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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.
However, Otto Addo's men come into this friendly with momentum on their side, having followed up a ruthless 5-0 thrashing of Chad with a commanding 3-0 victory over Madagascar to remain top of Group I with 15 points in the World Cup preliminaries.
With four games still to come, Ghana are firmly on course to qualify for their fifth global showpiece, which offers much-needed consolation after the disappointment of missing out on the African Cup of Nations set to take place in Morocco later this year.
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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.
Wednesday's fixture therefore arrives at a crucial juncture, offering a much-needed platform to build momentum before their next friendly against Russia on June 6, which then paves the way for a decisive run of qualifiers in September and October, including double-headers against Rwanda and South Africa, then Lesotho and Benin Republic.
Team News
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Ghana's squad comprises four home-based players and 19 from abroad, including Abdul Aziz Issah and Aaron Essel, both of whom featured at the recently concluded U20 AFCON.
Sunderland midfielder Abdul Samed Salis, Anderlecht's Majeed Ashimeru, and Juventus Next Gen striker Felix Afena-Gyan all return to the fold, offering a boost to the midfield and attack.
However, several key figures are unavailable — Arsenal's Thomas Partey, West Ham's Mohammed Kudus, and Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo are all out, though Jordan Ayew is set to lead the line against Nigeria.
For the Super Eagles, both the previous and current CAF Players of the Year — Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman — are missing, along with Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi.
Ten home-based players have been called up, led by the returning Ahmed Musa, while the European contingent includes Moses Simon, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Frank Onyeka, Nathan Tella, Cyriel Dessers, and new invitee Felix Agu, all of whom are already in camp.
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Asare; Mensah, Salisu, Simpson, Mamudu; Ashimeru, Samed, Agyekum; Ayew, Asante, Gyan
Nigeria possible starting lineup:
Nwabali; Onyemaechi, Ajayi, Ogbu, Ismaila; Ndidi; Chukwueze, Iheanacho, Simon; Dessers, Arokodare
We say: Ghana 1-1 Nigeria
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.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
