The Super Eagles of Nigeria will kick off their Road to AFCON 2023 journey on Thursday, June 9 when they welcome the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone to the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
The Eagles' newly-appointed coach Jose Peseiro will be hoping to start his journey in African football with a win after two friendly defeats to Mexico and Ecuador in their United States tour.
While the Eagles' have been dominant in this fixture, the Leone stars have given them a run for their money in recent times especially a 4-4 draw in Benin 18 months ago.
Sierra Leone vs Nigeria AFCON 2021 Qualifiers
The most recent meetings between Nigeria and Sierra Leone was in November 2020 when both West African countries clashed in Group L of the AFCON 2021 Qualifying series.
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In the first leg at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, the Super Eagles raced into a 4-0 lead before the half-hour mark courtesy of a brace from Alex Iwobi (4', 27') and goals from Victor Osimhen (21') and Samuel Chukwueze (29').
However, the Leone Stars mounted an incredible comeback bid to finish the match at 4-4. Kwame Quee grabbed a goal in the 41st minute before a 14-minute three-goal salvo from Alhaji Kamara (72', 86'), and Mustapha Bundu (80') put the visitors on the brink of defeating their hosts.
In the return leg four days later, the Leone Stars held on for another draw, ensuring that the match ended goalless at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown.
The Super Eagles will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the Benin match when they welcome the Leone Stars to the nation's capital this time around with the expectation being a straightforward victory.
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone Overall head-to-head
In all competitions, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have met 16 times with the first recorded match between both nations being in a friendly on April 22, 1961. In that match, the Super Eagles of Nigeria picked up a 4-2 away victory in Freetown.
In the subsequent 15 matches they have played, Nigeria have won eight (8) matches, lost two (2) and drawn five (5) times.
Overall, the Super Eagles have won nine (9) matches, drawn five (5) matches and lost only two (2) matches to the Leone Stars in all competitions.
The Super Eagles are billed to play the match against the Leone Stars behind closed doors at the Moshood Abiola Stadium after bagging a one-match stadium ban for fan violence following their World Cup qualifier match against Ghana.