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Jollof derby: Nigeria and Ghana in hunt for Qatar 2022 World Cup slot

Jollof derby: Nigeria and Ghana in hunt for Qatar 2022 World Cup slot
Ghana's Jordan Ayew controls the ball during the African Cup of Nations 2022 group C soccer match between Gabon and Ghana.   -  
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Themba Hadebe/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Nigeria

Nigeria and Ghana will battle on Tuesday for a single 2022 World Cup ticket. The first leg of the play-off last Friday ended in a draw at Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

The Black Stars landed in Abuja on Monday ahead of the second leg of the playy-off against Nigeria. Kick-off is scheduled on 5 PM GMT, 6 PM local time. If they didn't take a single goal at home, passing through to the Wolrd cup is all but a closed deal. Raking 61 at FIFA men's standings, the men of Otto Addo need a draw or a win to fulfill their dream of participating in their fourth World Cup.

At the post-match press conference on Friday, Ghanian coach was satisfied with his team: "I think the Nigerians saw that we can play as well even though the AFCON was not good we matched them up [...] The pressure will be on them at home and no away goals can hurt a lot."

On the other side, Nigerians belive in their chances to win. They will host Ghana at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday.

Odion Ighalo, a Super Eagles' forward was confident about the support Nigerian fans would bring: "It is a home advantage for us but it is going to be a tough game [...] Ghana have nothing to loose so we just have to give our best, take our chances, fight from start to finish."

Ghana and Nigeria have faced each other 56 times in all competitions, with Ghana recording 25 wins to Nigeria's 12 (19 matches ended in a draw).

The #NIGGHA hashtag is already trending in both West African countries.

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