Nigeria, who raced through the group stage with three straight wins, will try to maintain their good form when they face Mozambique in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Fes on Monday.

The Super Eagles are favourites against the Mambas, but Mozambique has already proved that they can upset more known sides.

A win over Gabon, combined with spirited performances in defeats against hosts Ivory Coast and Cameroon, demonstrated their capacity to contend with Africa’s traditional powers.

Nigeria, Africa’s winners for the final time in 2013, will be buoyed by their excellent start to the tournament and what appears to be a favorable last-16 draw. With confidence high in Éric Sékou Chelle’s camp, the Super Eagles will look to take another significant step toward ending their long wait for continental triumph.

Midfielders Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman have been Nigeria’s standout performances thus far, bringing creativity and effort. However, defensive problems persist, and Mozambique is likely to exploit those flaws through Sporting CP winger Geny Catamo.

Catamo has been one of Mozambique’s main attacking threats, converting a penalty in a 3-2 victory over Gabon and scoring a superb goal in a narrow 2-1 loss to Cameroon.

The victor of Monday’s match will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face either Algeria or DR Congo. A prospective encounter with DR Congo would bring back memories of Nigeria’s humiliation in the 2026 CAF World Cup qualification playoff final, which allowed the Leopards to proceed to the inter-confederation playoffs.

Match Details

Date: Monday, January 5
Kick-off: 20:00 WAT (21:00 CAT, 20:00 Moroccan time, 19:00 GMT)
Venue: Fez Stadium

How to watch: Live on SuperSport in Nigeria and South Africa.