The Super Eagles now only need to beat Guinea Bissau today in Abuja to qualify for the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire after Sierra Leone were surprisingly held to a draw by bottom team Sao Tome and Principe.
Before the 2-2 draw between Sierra Leone and Sao Tome, the Eagles needed to win both home and away against Guinea Bissau to guarantee their qualification.
Nigeria could now therefore book their qualification ticket to the AFCON with two rounds of matches to spare.
The Eagles lead Group A with six points from two matches and victory today against second-placed Guinea Bissau in Abuja will take them to nine points, which is a tally both Sierra Leone and Sao Tome can no longer reach.
Sierra Leone are currently on two points and even if they won their final two matches, will end up with only eight points.
Sao Tome, on the other hand, have a point and even they win their last two qualifiers, one of which is in Nigeria against the Eagles, they will only manage seven points.
A Nigerian victory today will also narrow the battle to who wins the group between the Super Eagles and the Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau.
Guinea Bissau have four points, two points behind leaders Nigeria, who with a win will increase their lead to five points.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the next AFCON, which will be staged in Cote d’Ivoire in January 2024.