2018 World Cup Odds and Prediction: Nigeria Team Betting Preview

They have a lot of attacking talent and they are very young, so they could do some damage, spring an upset and advance, or they could flame out quickly after three games. They will need to shore up at the back, but this could be one of the most entertaining teams at the World Cup.

2018 World Cup Nigeria Odds

+230 Yes To Advance, -333 No To Advance
+19990 To Win World Cup
5 World Cup Wins/Best World Cup finish: 9th (1994)
FIFA world ranking: 47
Manager: Gernot Rohr
Captain: Jon Obi Mikel

Nigeria Players to Watch

In a pretty talented squad, John Obi Mikel is the player to watch for Nigeria. He never quite hit the heights that many expected, and now he is playing in China. However, Mikel is still a very good player who will be expected to shield a shaky defense. He will be the player that Nigeria counts on to calm things down, which will be needed with a young team. He might not be the flashiest but Mikel is the most important for Nigeria.

Nigeria World Cup Formation and Projected Starting 11

Goalkeeper: Francis Uzoho
Defense: Ola Aina, William Troost-Ekong, Leion Balogun, Elderson Echiejile
Midfield: Wilfred Ndidi, John Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi

Forwards: Victor Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi

Nigeria Strengths

Nigeria can trouble a lot of teams going forward. Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi are both very promising players. Victor Moses should be happy to back up front after playing wingback for Chelsea all season. Keep an eye on Wilfred Ndidi, who could break out in this World Cup. He will help take some of the pressure off Mikel. This team has plenty of talent up front and could be a lot to handle for Croatia, Iceland and even Argentina – all of whom have questionable back ends.

Nigeria Weaknesses

The defense could be in trouble. There are not many world-class players back there and it would not be a surprise to see Moses shuffled back there to try and plug some leaks. Then there are issues between the sticks. Francis Uzoho is slated to start but he has just four appearances for his country. Ikechukwu Ezenwa has 24 appearances for Nigeria but many are picking Uzoho ahead of him. That is not encouraging.

Nigeria News

What can Gernot Rohr do to help his defense in Russia? If he can find some solutions, this team will be a handful in the group stage. If not, they will likely do no better than one win.

Nigeria World Cup Betting Prediction

The best-case scenario for Nigeria is that they advance out of their group. They should stay out of last place as Iceland is banged up. Pulling off good results against Argentina and Croatia is not likely. That means at +19990 to win the World Cup, you’re better to stay away from Nigeria. Betting on them to win Group D would not be smart, either.

Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo are rated at +15000 to win the Golden Boot as top goal scorer but only one of them will start. Iwobi is rated at +20000 for the Golden Boot. For the Golden Ball as top player, Iheanacho is rated at +15000. Iwobi and Mikel come in at +2500. These are all very unlikely outcomes for World Cup betting.

Overall, Nigeria will be fun to watch, there is no doubt about that. But unless the defense plays much better, they will not make it out of Group D.