Nigeria and Morocco will battle for a place in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they meet in Wednesday night’s semi-final in Rabat, Footynaija.com reports.
With both teams responsible for delivering some of the most exciting attacking performances at this year’s tournament, the contest sets up as one of AFCON 2025’s most intriguing tactical and psychological tests.
Here are four key talking points ahead of the clash.
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1. Can the Super Eagles continue their incredible run?
Nigeria head into the semi-finals as the tournament’s only side with a perfect record, winning all five of their matches and racking up goals along the way.
The Super Eagles have grown in authority with each outing, with their most recent display of quality coming in a composed 2-0 victory over Algeria in the quarter-finals.
Morocco meanwhile, have navigated their way to this stage with a more controlled approach. The hosts remain unbeaten, conceding just once throughout the tournament.
In front of a partisan Rabat crowd, they will look to dictate tempo and squeeze the life out of Nigeria’s transition game.
Wednesday’s contest pits Nigeria’s free-flowing and attacking style of play against Morocco’s discipline and game management, a classic semi-final contrast where the balance could swing on small moments.
2. How Nigeria will cope without Ndidi
Nigeria’s flawless run faces its sternest challenge with the absence of captain Wilfred Ndidi, suspended after picking up a second yellow card in the quarter-finals.
His importance to the Super Eagles extends beyond ball-winning, providing leadership, positional discipline and control in high-pressure situations.
Raphael Onyedika is expected to step in, bringing energy and intensity, but the task ahead is formidable against a Moroccan midfield built to dominate possession phases.
How Eric Chelle reshapes his side to cope without Ndidi will play a pivotal role in tipping the game one way or another. In a semi-final likely to be decided in midfield, this absence represents a genuine concern for the Super Eagles.
3. Can the Super Eagles succeed against a nation this time?
The Super Eagles are coming up against a host nation for the second consecutive time, having also faced Ivory Coast in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Eric Chelle’s men ended up losing that particular encounter in Abidjan and they’ll now be hoping for better fortunes when they lock horns with the Atlas Lions in Rabat.
Morocco hold the historical edge in this fixture, having won more meetings overall, but AFCON encounters between the two sides have traditionally been tight and fiercely contested.
4. Victor Osimhen vs Brahim Diaz: Who will light up Rabat?
Semi-finals are often decided by individuals capable of producing something decisive when space is limited.
For Nigeria, that responsibility falls on Osimhen, whose pace, movement, physicality and finishing have driven the Super Eagles’ attacking threat throughout the tournament.
Morocco, on the other hand, will look to Diaz for inspiration. The Real Madrid forward has been their standout attacking influence with a goal in all of the Atlas Lions’ games in this tournament.
With Morocco’s defence limiting chances and Nigeria thriving on moments of incision, the duel between Osimhen’s direct threat and Diaz’s inevitability could tip the scale in favour of one of these sides.
Whichever star manages to impose himself under the lights in Rabat may well carry his nation into the AFCON 2025 final.
