The FIFA U-20 World Cup Round of 16 clash between Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and Argentina U-20 team is set to take place on Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Chile.
The World Cup clash, anticipated by fans and pundits alike, comes after both teams advanced from the group stage.
Nigeria played a 1-1 draw against Colombia in their final Group F fixture on Monday morning to finish in third position behind Colombia and Norway with four points from three games.
The Flying Eagles had won one, drawn one and lost one of their three matches in the group stage to qualify for the last-16 stage as one of the best third-place teams.
Argentina finished top of Group D with a perfect record of 9 points from three games.
The South Americans defeated the likes of Italy, Australia and Cuba during the group stage fixtures.
In their final Group D match, Argentina defeated Italy 1-0 on Sunday to set up a clash against Nigeria in the knockout stage.
DAILY POST reports that Nigeria and Argentina have met twice in the FIFA U-20 World Cup competition in the past, in 2005 and 2023.
Argentina has won one game, losing one, while Nigeria has also won one match, losing one.
In the last edition of the competition two years ago, the Flying Eagles defeated Javier Mascherano’s Argentina side 2-0 in the Round of 16 to progress to the quarter-final.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, former TTC Football Academy coach, Emmanuel Brown, gave his view on the upcoming match between Nigeria and Argentina.
Brown said he expects Aliyu Zubairu’s side to give the South Americans a tough time, but admitted that they might not be able to keep a clean sheet against their opponent.
According to him, the Flying Eagles have conceded goals in all their group stage matches when compared to Argentina.
“I am happy that the boys [Flying Eagles] were able to make it to this stage of the competition. One thing they should take note of is that any little mistake at this stage will lead to them exiting the competition.
“I watched their last game against Colombia and the one against Saudi Arabia. To be honest, the boys need to improve in their defending as a team and also in their scoring chances.
“They failed to keep a clean sheet in the group stage compared to the Argentines, who not only achieved a clean sheet in one of their games, but also won all their matches in their group.
“I just hope Nigeria will improve their performance when they face Argentina because the Argentines have sharp forwards,” he said.
When asked for his expectations for the last-16 clash between Nigeria and Argentina, Brown insisted that the team that takes advantage of their chances will emerge victorious.
He, however, said he expects a close game with a low scoreline.
“To be honest, this game is difficult to predict. But one thing I am sure of is that since it is a knock-out stage, you should expect a close and tough encounter, full of passion and determination from both teams trying to win.
“Any of the teams that take their opportunity in front of goal as they come within 90 minutes will emerge winner,” he said.
