Niger and Guinea lock horns at the Mandela National Stadium on Monday for their opening game of the 2024 African Nations Championship. Ranked 121st in the world, Niger are making their third consecutive appearance in the competition and a fifth overall.Last time, the West African nation achieved their best finish by clinching the fourth place, something which they have be hoping to emulate or perhaps even surpass this time around.Their form in 2025 so far has not been encouraging, however, with Niger losing twice in three games and winning just once: a 6-0 victory against a non-FIFA side, Bonaire.On the other hand, Guinea return to the championship after missing out on the 2022 edition. Until then, the side had a pretty decent record at the tournament, reaching the semi-finals on two of their previous three appearances and even clinching bronze in 2020.The National Elephants will be aiming for another deep run, but will have their task cut out for them without their key players in the mix. Serhou Guirassy, Francois Kamano, and Mouctar Diakhaby are among the stars who ply their trade away from Guinea, and hence aren't eligible to feature.Niger vs Guinea Head-To-Head and Key NumbersThere have been nine clashes between the sides in the past, with Guinea winning on five occasions and losing to Niger thrice.Guinea and Niger last met in June 2021, with the former winning 2-1.Niger's last win over Guinea came in October 2012, a 2-0 win in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.The lone draw between these sides had come in the African Nations Championship in January 2016, when the sides drew 2-2 in the group stages.The National Elephants have failed to win either of their games in 2025, while Niger have lost twice in three matches.Niger vs Guinea PredictionNeither of these sides have experience a good run of form in 2025 thus far, but Niger at least have a decent offense, even without Guirassy and Kamano. Guinea, on the other hand, have been toothless while looking shaky in defense. We expect a close encounter here, with Niger narrowly edging past their West African rivals.Prediction: Niger 1-0 GuineaNiger vs Guinea Betting TipsTip 1 - Result: Niger to winTip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5 goalsTip 3 - Both teams to score: No