RADES (Tunisia) - Saturday, November 29 sees Group A of the 2027 World Cup African Qualifiers enter its second round of games, with a lot at stake as Guinea, Nigeria, Rwanda and hosts Tunisia take to the floor at Salle Omnisports de Rades.
Guinea and Tunisia won their opening games on Thursday against Rwanda and Nigeria respectively. Will they continue their winning ways, or will Nigeria and Rwanda bounce back?
One thing is for sure: if Guinea overcome Nigeria in the day's most hotly anticipated match and Tunisia defeat Rwanda, the two teams will make huge strides in the Group A race.
What do the numbers, history and recent performances say about these two matches? Read on to find out.
GUINEA vs NIGERIA (14:00 GMT+1)
In the only two occasions on which Guinea and Nigeria faced off, the latter achieved a 2-0 head-to-head victory.
These two encounters took place during the 2023 World Cup African Qualifiers, after which neither team qualified for the 32-nation tournament in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.
Both teams have evolved since their last meeting, experiencing highs and lows along the way.
In theory, Nigeria are the more successful team, having achieved an African title in 2015 in Rades, Tunisia.
However, Guinea have become one of the hottest teams in Africa in recent times.
A thorough analysis of the two teams' X-factors reveals more similarities between the two teams based on their performances in the opening game of this tournament.
Guinea emerged victorious in an 82-70 win over Rwanda, whereas Nigeria succumbed to an 88-78 overtime defeat against Tunisia.
Guinea overcame Rwanda with a field-goal percentage of 44.8%, whereas Nigeria only made 34% of their shots against Tunisia.
Shannon Evans was Guinea's top scorer, finishing with 25 points. Evans remains the go-to guy for Guinea, as evidenced by his 7-for-11 three-point shooting against Rwanda.
Meanwhile, Talib Zanna and Jordan Ogundiran, who struggled against Tunisia, have emerged as Nigeria's key players to watch.
Tunisia vs Rwanda (17:00 GMT+1)
Over the years, Tunisia and Rwanda have faced off seven times, dating back to the 2009 AfroBasket. Rwanda lost all seven of those encounters.
Judging by what both teams displayed on the opening day of the African Qualifiers, Tunisia might well extend their head-to-head advantage to 8–0.
The Tunisians put in an admirable performance to beat the resilient Nigerian team in overtime, leaving observers to wonder if they are turning the page on their recent decline.
Oussama Marnaoui and Omar Abada were Tunisia's main weapons against Nigeria, and the pair could play a similarly pivotal role for the three-time African champions against Rwanda.
The main takeaway from Rwanda's opening game was a team trying to find a new identity under coach Yves Murenzi.
FIBA