Nigeria opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with what looked very much a 'work in progress' 2-1 win over Tanzania, but they now face a much sterner examination of their championship credentials when they play old foes Tunisia on Saturday.
The Carthage Eagles top the group on goal difference after a 3-1 over Uganda, and need no more than a draw to keep their hold on top spot.
When these two sides last met, Tunisia were underdogs but pulled off a stunning upset win in Cameroon to knock Austin Eguavoen's Super Eagles out in the round of 16. The stakes here are nowhere near as high, and even defeat to either side does little damage to their chances of progress, although it would put them in a tricky spot in the knockout bracket.
Such is the anticipation around the game that tickets have been sold out already, well ahead of schedule. Here are a few storylines that those fans, and others at home should be looking out for when the game kicks off
Like Osimhen, like Kanu?
No-one will doubt that Nwankwo Kanu is one of Nigeria's greatest ever players, if not the greatest. But his Nations Cup record, from a goalscoring point of view, is dismal.
In six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, playing a total of 27 matches, Kanu did not score a single goal.
While Victor Osimhen's record is not as bad -- he has already scored more than the legend, having notched one at the last tournament -- he is still walking around with an abysmal AFCON scoring record from two tournaments.
By contrast, Odion Ighalo scored five goals from just one AFCON tournament appearance, winning the Golden Boot award in the process.
Granted, in 2019, Osimhen's only appearance was a 45-minute cameo in the bronze medal match, when he came on for Ighalo. But a single goal from the last tournament in Ivory Coast was not the return expected from a striker of his ability and reputation.
To be clear, it is not for want of effort. The forward won the penalty against the hosts, provided an assist in the win against Cameroon, and his industry as the first line of the press helped the Super Eagles win game after game all the way to the final.
Osimhen's remarkable record for Nigeria, even without being the penalty-taker designate, and missing games through injury, now has him just six goals shy of equalling Rashidi Yekini's goalscoring record for the country.
If he has is to keep up his assault on that mark, the goals will have to start flowing soon, and no better time than in one of the bigger games of the tournament.
Osimhen has always been a big game player, stepping up when needed for club and country.
However, both striker and teammates must take care not to focus so much on finding Osimhen that they sabotage their own opportunities at goal. That much was obvious against Tanzania, when certain situations saw the others trying to play the striker in even when they or others were better positioned.
Who win will the reignited rivalry?
Emmanuel Adebayor has labelled Jamie Carragher's treatment of Mohamed Salah as disrespectful.
Few may be aware that this is one of Africa's little celebrated, yet longstanding rivalries that will play out on Saturday when Nigeria and Tunisia meet in this West vs. North top of the table face-off at the 35,000-capacity Complexe Sportif de Fès.
By far the abiding memory of Tunisia vs. Nigeria encounters for most Nigerian football fans of a certain age would be Godwin Odiye's spectacular headed own goal at the National Stadium in Lagos in 1977. This ended the World Cup hopes of the country after they had played out a 0-0 draw in Tunisia in the first leg.
But there have been a lot of moments between these two sides to weave a compelling story.
Altogether, both Nigeria's Super Eagles and Tunisia's Carthage Eagles have played a total of 21 matches over a 64-year span. Unlike Nigeria's supposed "rivalry" with South Africa -- a lopisded, Nigerian-dominated affair -- both teams here have been evenly matched, sharing six wins apiece, with the remaining nine matches drawn. And this is where Nigeria edge the statistics.
Of the three that stretched to penalty shootouts, Nigeria won two, including a memorable 1982 World Cup qualifying fixture and an Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal duel that flowed back and forth in the Egyptian city of Port Said 19 years ago.
The latest instalment of the rivalry happened at the 2021 AFCON tournament in Cameroon, when a high-flying Nigeria team, which had swept through the group phases with a perfect three-win record, suffered a stunning round of 16 upset by Tunisia, who had barely managed to make it through as one of the best third-placed teams.
That victory was their first over Nigeria in a competitive match since 1985, when they won a 1986 World Cup qualifying match 2-0 in Tunis. Nigeria's most recent victory was in the third-place match of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Tunisia have qualified for the World Cup, Nigeria have not. Both sides are jostling for group leadership and a favourable pathway to the final, and a win would all but seal it ahead of the final round of games.
It is perhaps a testament to the fireworks that fans expect on the pitch that the game is one of three that sold out by Christmas.
Is a win a big deal, though?
When teams plan for tournaments, they try to plot the easiest route to the final. One of the easiest ways of doing so is to win the group, stay in their "home" stadium, and also meet with the second-placed -- or even better in a 24-team tournament, the best third-placed -- qualifier from their bracket.
Bragging rights aside, a second-placed finish could arguably be a better option for either of these two teams. Their potential opponents in the first knockout phase would be the Group A runners-up.
Assuming Morocco do not suffer a massive upset, this could turn out to be either Mali or Zambia with the way the results have gone. It is doubtful that either Tunisia or Nigeria would be frightful of any of those two.
By contrast, the path is slightly more precarious on the other side of the bracket. The group winner could potentially face teams from Group A, which changes little; Group B which could be any of Egypt, South Africa and Angola; or Group F with Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Gabon.
Realistically, based on opening day results and if the no-upset trend holds, it does not appear that there is much of a difference in the knockout opposition. So this is essentially down to bragging rights for who walks away with the head-to-head edge.
Chelle's choices
With a top of the table clash in hand, Nigeria coach Eric Sekou Chelle has some tough selection decisions to make.
While his team won that opening game, there were some individual performances that invited scrutiny, and could lead to changes in the lineup.
By far the key question is whether to stick with Samuel Chukwueze over Moses Simon. While the Fulham man has been in great form this season, and showed remarkable footwork against Tanzania, the attack only really sparked into life when Simon was introduced.
In addition, the Paris FC winger offers solid defensive support to the fullback with his tracking, and is less likely to turn over possession.
With the quickness of the Tunisians, he could be a better option, especially in transition defence.
Speaking of fullbacks, neither Zaidu Sanusi nor Bright Osayi-Samuel came off well. Chelle has battle-hardened veteran Chidozie Awaziem, who is actually a better fullback than centreback, in reserve as well as the untested Ryan Alebiosu. The Rovers man could be a risk in such a high-wire game.
Sanusi, on the other side, could hold on to his spot, simply because Bruno Onyemaechi does not offer much better.
Tactically, Chelle would also have to decide whether to live by his favoured midfielder diamond, or go with a double pivot.
The Malian has shown over recent games, that he is averse to change, so it is entirely possible that there will be an unchanged lineup from the opening game, and because he is just as reluctant to make any personnel adjustments before the hour mark, we can expect those players to stay on until then, barring any injuries.