Burkina Faso’s technical director, Vincenzo Alberto Annese, has picked Nigeria as the nation to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and also named Victor Osimhen as the strongest striker in the tournament.

Nigeria will clash with Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal on Saturday.

He said Nigeria’s forward, Osimhen, is the biggest threat in the whole tournament.

The Super Eagles are the team that has scored the most goals at AFCON 2025, with a total of 12 goals shared by seven different players.

Osimhen and Ademola Lookman together have scored half of all those goals.

Annese complimented the Super Eagles for their strong attacking play and thinks they are among the top teams to win the title, right up there with Ivory Coast.

Speaking to the Italian sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Annese said, “Nigeria has good attacking force, they are among the top teams along with the Ivory Coast, but I think they are more reliable.”

He gave his highest praise to Osimhen, calling him the best centre-forward in the competition.

“Then, the Super Eagles have Osi, who for me is the strongest center forward in the tournament. I had watched the World Cup qualifiers and when Osimhen leaves, Nigeria really changes face,” he said.

With 34 goals to his name, Osimhen is now three goals away from matching Rashidi Yekini’s record as Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.