Preview, Date, Venue, Head-to-Head Of Nigeria Vs Mozambique Round of 16 Fixture

Preview, Date, Venue, Head-to-Head Of Nigeria Vs Mozambique Round of 16 Fixture 

By Niyi Busari 

Nigeria will take on Mozambique in the Round of 16 of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations, with the fixture marking just the sixth senior international meeting between the two sides as the tournament enters its knockout phase in Morocco, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The match is scheduled for Monday, 5 January, at the 35,000-capacity Complexe Sportif de Fès, with kick-off set for 20:00 local time. The stadium has served as Nigeria’s base throughout the Group C matches and will again host the three-time African champions as they chase a place in the quarter-finals.

Nigeria arrive at the knockout stage in impressive form after a flawless group campaign that saw them win all three matches, score eight goals and concede four. Ademola Lookman and Raphael Onyedika both scored twice during the group phase, while Semi Ajayi, Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Paul Onuachu also contributed goals.

Mozambique, meanwhile, endured a more demanding route to the Round of 16. The Mambas began with a loss to defending champions Côte d’Ivoire but responded with a determined victory over Gabon. Despite a narrow 2–1 defeat to Cameroon in their final group fixture on Wednesday, they did enough to advance to the knockout rounds.

Monday’s encounter is expected to be closely fought. Mozambique have demonstrated resilience and the ability to challenge more established sides, while Nigeria will take confidence from both their recent form and a favourable head-to-head record against the southern African nation.

The Super Eagles have won four of the five previous meetings between the two teams. Their only Africa Cup of Nations clash came in January 2010 in Lubango, Angola, where Nigeria secured a convincing 3–0 victory. The sides also met during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, playing out a goalless draw in Maputo before Nigeria claimed a 1–0 win in Abuja, courtesy of a stoppage-time strike by Obinna Nsofor. Most recently, Nigeria edged Mozambique 3–2 in a friendly match in Lisbon in October 2023.

With a quarter-final berth on the line, both teams will be eager to deliver a strong performance in what promises to be a competitive knockout fixture.

Match Details

Fixture: Nigeria vs Mozambique

Date: Monday, 5 January

Time: 20:00

Venue: Complexe Sportif de Fès (Fez Stadium Sports Complex)

Nigeria vs Mozambique: Head-to-Head

17 Aug 1999: Mozambique 0–1 Nigeria (Friendly, Maputo)

29 Mar 2009: Mozambique 0–0 Nigeria (World Cup qualifier, Maputo)

11 Oct 2009: Nigeria 1–0 Mozambique (World Cup qualifier, Abuja)

20 Jan 2010: Mozambique 0–3 Nigeria (AFCON, Lubango)

16 Oct 2023: Mozambique 2–3 Nigeria (Friendly, Lisbon)