Group C
7:00 PM — Uganda vs Nigeria
7:00 PM — Tanzania vs Tunisia
Group D
10:00 PM — Benin vs Senegal
10:00 PM — Botswana vs DR Congo
Uganda and Nigeria will meet for the second time at the Africa Cup of Nations when they face off in a Group C clash at the Complex Sportif de Fès on December 30.
Seated bottom of the pile, the Cranes need nothing but a win in their last group match to secure a spot in the knockout phase.
It’s strong to note that the top two teams in the group, alongside four best third places sides, qualify for the round of 16.
Uganda started their campaign with a 3-1 defeat to Tunisia before a 1-1 draw against neighbours Tanzania.
But they could have claimed maximum points against the Taifa Stars after they were awarded a penalty only for Allan Okello to send his kick over in added time.
Nigeria on the other hand, already secured qualification to the next phase after opening wins against Tunisia and Tanzania, and are expected to rest some of their key players including Victor Osimhen.
History On Uganda’s Side
Their only previous AFCON meeting came in the semi-finals of the 1978 tournament, when Uganda claimed a 2-1 victory over Nigeria, a result that remains their sole encounter at the finals to date.
In that 1978 semi-final, Abdulla Nasur gave Uganda the lead in the 11th minute before Martins Eyo equalised for Nigeria in the 54th minute. Phillip Omondi then scored the decisive goal just four minutes later to send Uganda through.
Overall, the sides have met eight times across all competitions. Uganda hold the edge with four wins to Nigeria’s two, while two matches have ended in draws.
Uganda and Nigeria have also been paired together in AFCON qualifying for the 1994 and 2008 tournaments. Across those four qualifiers, Nigeria recorded two wins, Uganda one, with one draw. On both occasions, Nigeria progressed ahead of Uganda.
Their most recent meeting was an international friendly played on 20 November 2018, which ended in a goalless draw in Asaba.
Uganda are currently three matches unbeaten against Nigeria (W2 D1).
Nigeria’s last victory over Uganda came in AFCON qualifying for the 2008 tournament, when they won 1-0 on 24 March 2007 at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, with Nwankwo Kanu scoring the only goal in the 73rd minute.
PAST MEETINGS
OVERALL
Uganda: P8 | W4 | D2 | L2 | GF6 | GA5 | GD+1
Nigeria: P8 | W2 | D2 | L4 | GF5 | GA6 | GD-1
AFCON ONLY
Uganda: P1 | W1 | D0 | L0 | GF2 | GA1 | GD+1
Nigeria: P1 | W0 | D0 | L1 | GF1 | GA2 | GD-1
PAST AFCON MEETINGS
1978, Semi-finals – 14 March 1978
Uganda 2 (Nasur 11’, Omondi 58’) Nigeria 1 (Eyo 54’)