Nigeria

This may not be the strongest Nigerian side in World Cup history, which has seen the Super Eagles qualify for six of the last seven tournaments.

Even so, the African side possess an exciting crop of blossoming talent, including Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi and Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who will line-up alongside the more experienced Victor Moses of Chelsea and captain John Obi Mikel.

Head Coach: Gernot Rohr

After managing Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso, the 64-year-old will finally get the chance to manage at a World Cup.

His managerial highlight came 22 years ago, when Rohr led Bordeaux to the 1996 UEFA Cup final.

Key Player: John Obi Mikel

The Nigerian skipper isn’t the sort of player who will get bums off seats, however his experience and discipline in the midfield engine room will be key.

Now 32, and with 83 international caps behind him, Mikel will be expected to lead a young group of players with aspirations of reaching the knockout stages.

How They Qualified

You could make a strong case that Nigeria are Africa’s best representatives at this year’s tournament, after they strolled through a tough qualifying group which included Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia.

The Super Eagles lost just one of their six qualifying games (3-0 against Algeria) but they’d already won the group by that point.

FFT Prediction: Third in the group – The Super Eagles are bound to give the tournament a good go, but their defensive frailties will probably cost them in the end.