The most interesting match in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations meets the double winner of the cup - Nigeria against the considered lately the strongest African team - Ivory Coast. Despite the opinion of experts and fans Ivory Coast team has won the Cup only once, back in 1992 and the big expectations will definitely get some extra pressure on them.
All except the first place will be considered a failure by the fans of the star team of Côte Divoar. On the other hand, the Nigerian team has a very young and ambitious staff, who not only plays anoutstanding football but also enjoys it.
In the last draw against Algeria, Ivory Coast coach gave a rest to his most important players, coming with nine changes in the squad. The stars will definitely go in fresh in this game, which should have an impact in a tournament with such a tight schedule.
Statistics over the years from mathes between the two teams is entirely in favor of Ivory Coast. Most often the team has achieved victories with little goals scored, which makes us think that once again there will be a strong battle for every inch of ground. Besides Didier Drogba - the undisputed leader of the team, Ivory Coast will rely heavily on Gervinho in attack, who is in good form and has two goals scored in two games. In their support in the midfield will be the tireless Yaya Toure.
There is only one place in the semifinals and we expect both teams to be very cautious taking no great risks.