Nigeria need a win in Uyo on Friday to keep their Group L hopes alive, with co-hosts Tanzania already qualified and Guinea-Bissau leading the table.
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The Super Eagles host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, November 13, in a Group L qualifier for AFCON 2027, as FootballInNigeria.com.ng reports. Kick-off is 5:00pm WAT. Nigeria have little room left for error.
Nigeria sit second in the group with three points from two games, after a 2-1 win over Madagascar and a 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau lead with six points and a goal difference of +5. Madagascar and Tanzania have one point each.
Tanzania are co-hosts of the 2027 finals alongside Kenya and Uganda, which means they have already qualified. Only one more ticket is up for grabs from the group, and it goes to the best of Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar. Two wins over Tanzania would lift the Eagles to nine points.
Eric Chelle named a 24-man squad for the double-header, and the headlines are about who is missing. Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye were all left out. Fans weighing up the tie can check the latest Bet9ja promo code before kick-off.
Nigeria’s recent form is patchy. A week after the loss in Bissau, they drew 3-3 with Russia in a friendly. The defence has leaked six goals in those two games, so can Chelle’s side tighten up at home?
Tanzania arrive without a win in the group. They lost 2-0 to Guinea-Bissau on matchday one and drew 1-1 in Madagascar. Coach Miguel Gamondi has called up two first time invitees and three returning players.
Nigeria have never lost to Tanzania in 11 meetings, winning seven and drawing four. The last meeting was a 2-1 Nigerian win in the AFCON 2025 group stage on December 23, 2025. A draw is the best Tanzania have managed against the Eagles.
Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African Footballer of the Year, offers the sharpest threat from the left. Calvin Bassey of Fulham anchors a back line that has looked shaky lately. For Tanzania, Azam FC’s Feisal Salum is the creative spark, and Goztepe left back Novatus Miroshi must handle Nigeria’s wide play.
Our pick is Nigeria 2-0. The hosts have the quality and the home support, and Tanzania’s finals place is already secure. Anyone fancying their own forecast can test it on Bet9ja’s Super9ja predictor.
The return leg follows on Tuesday, November 17, in Tanzania. Two wins would put the Eagles on nine points, but the group will not be settled until March. Guinea-Bissau also play Madagascar twice this month, so the table can shift fast.
Six points sounds simple on paper. A slip in Uyo would hand Guinea-Bissau even more room at the top. Can Chelle’s side show the control it lacked in Bissau?
New readers curious about Bet9ja can look up Nigeria’s top Bet9ja code before the weekend’s NPFL and qualifier action. Stay with FootballInNigeria.com.ng for full coverage from Uyo.
📌 Did You Know?
- Eight of the 11 meetings between Nigeria and Tanzania were played between 1972 and 1980, with only three coming since.
- Tanzania reached the Round of 16 at the last AFCON, where Morocco beat them 1-0 on January 4, 2026.
- Chelle recalled Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Yusuf Alhassan, Samson Tijani and Suleiman Mubarak, while Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyeka miss out.
- After the Tanzania double-header, Nigeria still have an away game at Madagascar and a home game against Guinea-Bissau on March 28, 2027.
- On the same Friday, Nigeria’s U23 side face DR Congo in Lubumbashi.
- Tanzania thrashed Macao 6-0 in a March friendly but lost 1-0 to Liechtenstein three days earlier.
