Allez Lez Lions, Alles Lez Lions, the hosts Cameroon will not have fans to sing, but in spirit will roar together! Burkina Faso play the opening fixture against the Indomitable Lions and hopes of upsetting the applecart are on their minds. Legend of the game, and the now Cameroun Feca Foot president Samuel Eto’o will be present and cheering his nation on! What better way to kick off the highly anticipated AFCON 2021?
Africa Cup of Nations – Group A
Sunday 9 January
Olembe Stadium
18:00
To Win
Cameroon 15/20
Cameroon 15/20
Draw 19/10
Burkina Faso 42/10
Burkina Faso 42/10
Cameroon
The host nation always gets the 12th man behind them, but the ruling out of fans will take some of the sting away from Cameroon. Make no mistake, playing on your home soil does give you a psychological advantage and the Indomitable Lions will want to show the bite they once had is still there.
The qualification route was a confident one with just one slip up against Cape Verde who eventually qualified behind the hosts. While Cameroon might not have the name brands they once had, the last time they succeeded in the tournament then coach Hugo Broos took a young and fairly-unknown team into the tournament and lifted the trophy.
New Portuguese head coach Toni Canceicao has however opted for a more experienced team and forwards Eric Maxim Choupa-Moting will lead the line alongside Vincent Aboubaker, but the key to hold it all together is undoubtedly defensive midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, coupled by Ajax’s number one shot stopper Andre Onana.
The team selection has been key for Toni, and a run of great results in World Cup qualification saw them finish top of that group will prove to be experience as a unit.
Burkina Faso
The surprise package, Burkina Faso, comes into this edition of AFCON undefeated in 10 competitive fixtures. The defence of The Stallions is undoubtedly their strong point. Experience is the underlying theme of the backline of over 150 combined caps.
The target man for Burkina Faso is Aston Villa’s Bertrand Traore, and with the 26-year-old putting up performances when he does appear the form should bellow over.
Their relentless runs and pressing down the wings, particularly down the right wing through wing-back Edmond Tapsoba.
Prediction: Cameroon Win (15/20)
The fixture will not be as one sided as you might expect. Burkina Faso recently played Algeria in the CAF 2022 World Cup Qualifiers and were totally dominated in the opening minutes, but they grew into the game creating many chances of their own eventually ending the fixture 1-1. in every aspect.
While Cameroon are not the side Algeria are, they have the home soil beneath them and recent form behind them, and arguably their weakest opponents ahead of them.
Written by Joshua Gaillard