Nigeria vs South Africa: Three Key Battles in Super Eagles World Cup Qualifier Against Bafana Bafana

• The Super Eagles of Nigeria will play host to Bafana Bafana in their third qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament
• The qualifier will be a repeat of the semi-final clash between both countries at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast
• Sports Brief takes a look at the top three pivotal battles that are expected to happen in the encounter in Uyo next month

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will host South Africa in their third 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Friday, June 7.

The match will be a repeat of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Ivory Coast, with Nigeria winning the tie on penalties after the game ended 1-1.

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Ahead of the qualifiers in Uyo, Sports Brief examines the game's top three key battles.

Three battles in Nigeria vs South Africa

1. Ademola Lookman vs Khuliso Mudau

Mudau will have a huge task when Bafana Bafana face Nigeria in Uyo. He will have to deal with the in-form Lookman on the left wing.

Lookman is the Super Eagles' most in-form player after his heroic performance in the UEFA Europa League final, scoring a hat-trick as Atalanta won the competition.

Mudau is capable of keeping the Atalanta star silent in the game, and the Mamelodi Sundowns fullback did a good job when they crossed paths in AFCON.

2. Victor Boniface vs Mothobi Mvala

In the absence of Victor Osimhen, Boniface is expected to lead Super Eagles attack in the game but will have to find a way against the physical 'Mvala'.

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The Sundowns defender did a good job against Osimhen at AFCON but will be dealing with a different player in the qualifiers.

Boniface likes to drop deep and is a better player than the Napoli striker in terms of dribbling and playmaking.

3. Alex Iwobi vs Teboho Mokoena

The midfield battle will be between Iwobi and Mokoena. The South African midfielder won the duel at AFCON due to Nigeria's approach to the game, but the qualifiers will be different.

The duel between both midfielders will affect the outcome of the tie in Uyo.

Finidi makes changes to Nigeria’s squad

Sports Brief earlier reported that Coach Finidi has made changes to Nigeria’s squad for the World Cup qualification games.

The 53-year-old was forced to make a change due to the withdrawal of Nathan Tella from the team.