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Nigeria U20 and Dominican Republic U20 will kickstart their 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup campaign at the Estadio Malvinas on Sunday.
The Flying Eagles are making their 13th appearance at the U20 World Cup. They booked their spot in the tournament courtesy of their third-place finish at the 2023 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Egypt earlier this year.
Nigeria come into the tournament on the back of a six-goal thriller against Colombia in their final preparatory friendly. Sunday Jude, Ibrahim Muhammad and Emmanuel Umeh all found the back of the net for Ladan Bosso's side.
The Dominican Republic are making their debut in the U20 FIFA World Cup and secured qualification courtesy of their shock second-placed finish at the 2022 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
The Caribbean team fell to a 3-0 defeat against Ecuador in their final friendly game last week. Prior to that, they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Argentina, with Juan Gauto stepping off the bench to complete the rout with a second-half brace.
Nigeria U20 vs Dominican Republic U20 Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides at this level.
- Nigeria have finished as runners-up on two occasions at this level, most recently in 2005.
- Six of Nigeria's last seven games have seen one side fail to find the back of the net.
- Seven of the Dominican Republic's last eight games have produced three goals or more.
- The Dominican Republic have failed to score in six of their last seven games, while seven of their last eight opponents have scored two goals or more.
- The Dominican Republic are on a seven-game losing streak.
Nigeria U20 vs Dominican Republic U20 Prediction
The Dominican Republic are one of the lowest-rated sides in the tournament but their unknown factor could count in their favor. They recently upset the apple cart to finish second in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship and will be looking to keep their fairytale run going.
Nigeria, for their part, will be aiming to secure maximum points here before facing tougher tests against Brazil and Italy as they seek a first U20 world title.
The two-time runners-up are among the dark horses in the tournament and we are backing them to kickstart their campaign with a comfortable win.
Prediction: Nigeria U20 3-0 Dominican Republic U20
Nigeria U20 vs Dominican Republic U20 Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Nigeria to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Handicap (0:1): Nigeria
