EPL Popularity in Nigeria

Nigerian players have a history of success in the English Premier League over the years, which can easily explain why the league is very popular in the west African nation. From the days of Efan Ekoku, Yakubu Ayiegbeni, Augustine Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Joseph Yobo, Nigeria has had a good representation in the Premier League.

These Nigerian players have gone on to prove they don’t just make the numbers and quite a good number have left a lasting impression. At least seven players were confirmed in various teams’ Premier League squads for the 2020/21 season. This has endeared the league to most fans in Nigeria and reinforced their earlier dedication to the teams they support.

Time factor is also an issue here; the difference in time zones between Nigeria and England is not so big, thus makes it easy for fans to follow their favorite teams, as well as those with Nigerian players. While Nigeria has standard GMT +1 time, England ranges between GMT 0 and +1 depending on the season and fans are normally not forced to stay up late to catch games.

As a result of this popularity in Nigeria, a number of bookmakers have emerged with special focus on the Premier League and with products well geared to interest these audiences.

Here are a number of the options available to bet on this weekend’s matches:

Credit: Wincomparator (football odds section)

Leicester City has the biggest concentration of registered Nigerian players – two. Kelechi Iheanacho, and Wilfred Ndidi are core members of the team as the 2016 champions seek another good campaign. While Ndidi is out injured, Iheanacho remains in frame for the game against Wolves this weekend. Both Leicester and Wolves won their last matches and will be eyeing three points, which could see the winner ascend to the top of the league table. Looking at the teams’ strengths, a draw at half time is very probable here and would be a good bet.

At Crystal Palace, Eberechi Eze, born in England but with Nigerian roots, is expected to be key following his arrival from QPR. He has already featured for England’s junior teams but remains in frame for Nigeria. Eze has featured in six of Palace’s seven league games this season. In the last match, he was a 65^th minute sub as the team lost 2-0 to Wolves and he will be a favorite to start against Leeds United, in a match widely tipped to end in a draw.

At Everton, Alex Iwobi has flown the Nigerian flag since his move from Arsenal and will be hoping to have a better season after a lackluster performance last time. Still he has a sizeable following from Nigeria, and especially given his team’s fine start to the current campaign. He has featured in six of the team’s seven matches in the league and with Richarlison suspended, he may earn another start against Manchester United this weekend. Both Everton and United have not had good runs lately and will be expected to go all out seeking three points. With an open game at Goodison Park, both sides have been backed to score and perhaps Iwobi will get his opening goal of the league this season here.

In the clash at Goodison Park, another Nigerian who may be on show is striker Odion Ighalo, who is on a loan spell at Manchester United. Ighalo did not feature in the midweek Champions League loss in Turkey and could be useful for United in this game. While he, and Manchester United, enjoy a good following in Nigeria, the striker has not featured a lot this season, with just one league appearance.

At Fulham, Ola Aina has been a key man in their return to the Premier League. He has featured four times so far in the league and in the last match, he had a crucial contribution. The defender not only aided the side keep a clean sheet, but scored as the team registered their first victory, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0. The goal and performance in general may have just earned Aina another starting berth against West Ham United in the next match. However, West Ham are heavily tipped to win the game, as they carry a much better run.

As Aina celebrated his team’s win, another Nigerian, Semi Ajayi was left reflecting on another loss as his team West Bromwich Albion continues with the search for a first win. Ajayi, a defender, played the entire game in the 2-0 loss to Fulham. This is his second season in the top flight after earlier being listed for Arsenal in 2015, though he didn’t play all season. Ajayi has featured in six of West Brom’s seven matches and will be in frame for the game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. With West Brom’s recent form, and Spurs coming from a win in Europa League, the North London side is tipped to carry the day.

In other matches lined up on the weekend, Brighton will be up against Burnley in the first match of Round 8 on Friday, with the hosts backed to add to Burnley’s woes. Brighton have one win in seven league matches while Burnley have no win yet and the home team will be the favorites here.

The second and only other game on Friday, will see Southampton take on Newcastle United with both sides coming from wins. Southampton have picked up well and after winning four of their last five matches, they will be keen on extending this against the visitors. Newcastle beat Everton 2-1 in their last match, but didn’t look entirely comfortable. They have no clean sheet in their last six matches, but have scored in each of their last seven matches. In their scoring form, and Southampton’s too, this match could be a good pick for both sides to score.

On Saturday, Chelsea, one of the sides enjoying top form at the moment, will be at home to take on struggling Sheffield United. The Blues have not lost in their last seven matches across all competitions and have kept five straight clean sheets. They have been free scoring lately and have been tipped to register a comfortable win against Sheffield. Chelsea have scored at least three goals in five of their last seven matches and with Sheffield struggling so far, the home team is backed for a 3-0 win on the correct score scale.

The biggest game of the weekend will see Manchester City host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. Both sides carry fine runs to this game and it will be exciting to see how this goes. A big expectation in this game is that it will come with plenty of goals. City have scored thrice in three of their last five matches while Liverpool have scored at least twice in their last four matches. Each of their league meetings last season produced over 3.5 goals and looking at their recent form, experts predict a high scoring fixture here.

The final game of the round pits Arsenal against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. Villa have lost heavily in their last two matches, and conceded seven goals in the process, quickly erasing the memory of their fine start. They find Arsenal in great form, with three straight wins and with a good run at home. While Arsenal have been tipped favorites here, they don’t look likely to keep a clean sheet, and a bet on both teams to score could pass. Both sides are known to be more active in the second half and that part of the game is also tipped to have the most goals.