Nigeria won the tournament opener. Now they can win the whole thing on Tuesday.
Moses Simon scored inside six minutes against Iran. Akor Adams added a second after halftime. Job done, 2-1, move on. Eric Chelle's Super Eagles are sitting top of this four-nation invitational in Antalya and a win against Jordan on Tuesday wraps up the title with a game to spare.
There is just one thing worth mentioning before we get into the tactical breakdown. Nigeria are not going to the World Cup this summer. DR Congo ended that dream in the playoffs and FIFA dismissed their appeal. Jordan are here preparing for their maiden World Cup appearance in June. Nigeria are here because they need games and momentum and somewhere to direct their energy after that qualification heartbreak.
That context matters. One team is building towards the biggest moment in their football history. The other is rebuilding after missing out on it. But on Tuesday night in Antalya, none of that changes the equation. Nigeria are ranked 26th in the world. Jordan are 64th. And the Super Eagles have not lost an official match in 19 games.
Jordan vs Nigeria: Key Stats
Head-to-head: Nigeria 1 win, Jordan 1 win, 0 draws. Jordan won the last meeting 1-0 in 2013
Nigeria: Unbeaten in their last 19 official matches, 13 wins and 6 draws
Nigeria: Scored 37 goals and conceded just 14 in that 19-game run
Nigeria: Beat Iran 2-1 in their tournament opener on Friday
Jordan: Drew 2-2 with Costa Rica after leading 2-0, conceding twice in the last 10 minutes
Jordan: Lost just 1 of their last 5 matches overall
Jordan: Scored in each of their last 7 games
Jordan: Making their first ever World Cup appearance this summer, drawn with Argentina, Austria and Algeria in Group J
Nigeria: Missing Victor Osimhen through injury, who is two goals away from the all-time Nigeria scoring record
Photo Credit (Getty Images)
What to Expect
Jordan showed character and quality against Costa Rica but also showed a vulnerability that Nigeria will have noted carefully. Leading 2-0 with 10 minutes left and somehow coming away with only a draw is the kind of thing that keeps coaches awake at night. Mousa Al-Tamari is their best player and the man dubbed the Jordanian Messi for good reason. He is quick, direct, technically excellent, and capable of beating his man in any situation. Baha' Faisal scored from the spot on Friday and will lead the line again. Coach Jamal Sellami's 3-4-3 setup makes Jordan compact and hard to break down through the middle, but it leaves the wing-backs exposed against fast, direct wingers. Nigeria have several of those.
Nigeria will rotate heavily after the Iran game four days ago. Chelle has already signalled changes with players like Onuachu, Ejuke, Dele-Bashiru and Onyedika all pushing for starting roles. Lookman remains the most creative and dangerous Nigerian on the pitch regardless of who starts around him, and Akor Adams deputising for the absent Osimhen has shown he can take his chances when they arrive. Without Osimhen, Nigeria lose their most clinical finisher, but this is a squad with enough depth to win this game comfortably even with a rotated lineup. Jordan's late collapse against Costa Rica suggests they struggle to maintain concentration when the game is in the balance.
Predicted Lineups
Jordan (3-4-3)
Abulaila; Nasib, Al-Arab, Abu Dahab; Assaf, Al-Rawabdeh, Abu Taha, Hasheesh; Al-Tamari, Faisal, Al-Fakhouri
Nigeria (4-2-3-1)
Okoye; Osayi-Samuel, Nwaiwu, Fernandez, Sanusi; Onyedika, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Onyeka, Lookman; Akor
Players to Watch
Mousa Al-Tamari - The Stade Rennais winger is Jordan's most dangerous and most important player. He creates, he scores, and he makes Jordan look like a completely different team when he is in the mood. Nigeria's left back will need to be alert from the very first minute because Al-Tamari does not give defenders time to settle.
Ademola Lookman - Even in a rotated Nigeria side, Lookman is the one player Jordan simply cannot allow space. Creative, clever, always willing to take on his man, and capable of producing moments that win games on his own. If Jordan give him room between the lines, this game could be over by halftime.
Akor Adams - No Osimhen means Adams carries the goal-scoring responsibility again. He scored a composed dink against Iran and is clearly comfortable in the centre-forward role. A second goal in two games would make a very strong case for a permanent spot in this squad.
Baha' Faisal - Jordan's most reliable goal threat and the man who has been scoring regularly throughout their World Cup qualifying campaign. If Jordan are going to get something from this game, it will come through moments of individual quality from him on the counter.
Prediction
Jordan to win: 4.60
Nigeria to win: 1.75
Draw: 3.55
Over 2.5 Goals: 1.89
Prediction: Jordan 1-2 Nigeria
Nigeria are the better side, have the stronger squad, and have not lost in 19 official matches. Jordan showed their vulnerability against Costa Rica by collapsing when a game looked won. Nigeria will rotate but they will still have enough quality to control this match and seal the tournament title. Al-Tamari will give Nigeria one moment to worry about and Jordan will score. But Nigeria's depth, discipline, and the momentum of the Iran win should be enough to get over the line and give Chelle exactly the winning habit his team needs heading into AFCON qualifiers this summer.
