AFCON Update: Algeria and Nigeria faceoff for semifinal ticket

Nigeria vs Algeria AFCON quarter-final preview: Super Eagles seek semifinal spot facing undefeated Desert Foxes in Rabat, featuring Osimhen and Mahren

Algeria and Nigeria meet again on Saturday in a quarter final clash at AFCON. Who will come out tops? (Photo credit: Khel)

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on Algeria on Saturday in a quarter-final clash at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with all eyes on what coach Eric Chelle decides to do with Victor Osimhen.

Algeria made it to the quarter-finals after some stellar performances in their group, and a last-gasp extra-time winner over DR Congo in the round of 16 handed them a quarter-final berth against the team that beat them to the title in the 1980 edition of the tournament in Lagos.

Two semifinalists already emerged from the Friday fixtures, with Senegal beating 10-man Mali 1-0, a game where Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma saw red in the first half. It was the second game on the bounce where the Eagles of Mali got reduced to ten men.

In the other quarterfinal of Friday, host nation Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 to advance to the semifinal. Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz scored for the fifth game running, a record for Morocco, while Ibrahim Saibari added the second in the 74th minute.

Algeria are no strangers to the Super Eagles. While Nigeria holds recent records over the Algerians, the North African side holds the overall record over Nigeria, winning 10 of their encounters while the Super Eagles are one behind on that count.

Algeria will be looking to level with Nigeria on AFCON title count, as Algeria has two while the Super Eagles have won the title three times. Algeria will seek to dominate the game early to avoid Nigeria exerting pressure on them like the Congolese did.

Both sides go into this game with a perfect record, having won all their respective games in the tournament so far, making it a huge clash in Rabat. This is one to relish on Saturday before the final quarter-final clash between Ivory Coast and Egypt later on Saturday night.

Ibrahim Benaccer is a big doubt for this game after he was taken off injured in their 1-0 win over Congo DR, but the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Rayan Ait Nouri, Monsef Bakrar and Himad Abdelli will look to get the job done for coach Vladimir Petkovic.

Nigeria has rich depth. A second-string side took Uganda out without breaking a sweat, and scoring four past Mozambique in their quarter-final game should heap fear on anyone. Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams will look set to add to their respective tallies; however, Alex Iwobi is another player to watch.