Cameroon have their backs to the wall as they confront Senegal on Saturday. A five-point gap needs to be abridged to revive hopes for their qualification to the 2012 African Nations Cup being hosted in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They need to take revenge on Senegal for the 1-0 setback in Dakar during the third round, meant not only for advancement in their current campaign, but for national prestige.
Conscious of this, authorities and the FA officials have stepped up efforts across weeks to prepare for this significant meeting. Uncountable conclaves between the team’s technical staff and government officials, meant to expose and extirpate any imperfection, have been held.
The team’s Spanish coach Javier Clemente, his assistants and former Cameroon internationals including Roger Milla, have embarked on several reconciliation missions among the players, and to negotiate the return of others to the outfit.
Playing at home against Senegal is not really considered a plus by the Cameroonians, many of whom are still haunted by the memories of how DR Congo breezed in to hold them to a 1-1 tie in the northern city of Garoua.
Impeaching Senegal’s sharp attacking line – marshalled by top scorers Moussa Sow, Mamadou Niang, Papiss Cisse, etc, remains a top priority, but too much concentration on this may waste Cameroon’s focus of snaffling a three-pointer from the clash.
However, if the hosts are able to roll out the tough resistance and compact play pattern they attempted against Senegal in Dakar, the Yaounde meeting could bring joy and reshuffle the Group E standing in favour of the Samuel Eto’o-led team.
A chance to put the campaign to bed
With nine points in Group E, Senegal are hoping to close the race with an away win or at least a tie from the Yaounde battle, according to the Teranga Lions’ strong-willed coach, Amara Traore.
Sharing the spoils with Cameroon will put Senegal on 10 points with the central Africans still trailing on five. By then, Senegal would have vanquished their chief obstacle, with only Mauritius and DR Congo left in the group to contend with. Both teams were pummeled by the Teranga Lions in the first and second rounds of the qualifiers respectively.
Senegal have portrayed the best attack and defence so far across the three rounds, scoring 12 goals and conceding only two, but despite their 1-0 win over Cameroon in March, pundits have raised questions about some deficiencies in the defence and incoherence in the midfield, exposing some vulnerabilities which the Cameroonians could exploit on Saturday.
However, the spirit is daringly high. The whole nation is behind the team. President Abdoulaye Wade has offered a special presidential jet, Pointe Sarene, to airlift the entire contingent to Cameroon.
Officials of the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) have long been sojourning in the Cameroonian capital preparing the terrain for the team’s arrival and coordinating local fans to provide blasting cheers at the stadium for the visitors.
A number of pundits have tipped Senegal as a side capable of frustrating Cameroon, but others say the Indomitable Lions react more positively when they are pushed to the wall, which is their actual stance.
TEAM NEWS
Cameroon
After a relatively timid training session on Monday and Tuesday, the team had a full house on Wednesday with captain Samuel Eto’o’s presence, after his widely rumoured altercation with Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, who has been sidelined due to injury. Tottenham Hotspur’s left back Benoît Assou-Ekotto is still expected to show up at the Lions’ camp.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Idriss Carlos Kameni (RCD Espanyol, Spain), Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Nantes FC, France), Charles Itandje (Atromitos FC, Greece)
Defenders: Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspurs, England), Benoit Angbwa (FC Anji Makhatch, Russia), Patrick Abouna Ndzana (Les Astres, FC Cameroon), Nicolas Nkoulou (AS Monaco, France), Gaetan Bong (FC Valenciennes, France), Henri Bedimo (RC Lens, France), Stephane Mbia (Olympique Marseille, France), Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspurs, England)
Midfielders: Eyong Takang Enoh (AFC Ajax Amsterdam, Holland), Landry Nguemo (AS Nancy, France), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille OSC, France), Andre Ndame Ndame (Coton Sport FC, Cameroon), Benjamin Moukandjo (AS Monaco, France), Matthew Mbuta Andongcho (Crystal Palace Baltimore, USA)
Forwards: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Hamburg SV, Germany), Achille Webo (RCD Mallorca, Spain), Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan, Italy), Vincent Aboubakar (FC Valenciennes, France), Ngako Deutcha Duvalois (Sable FC de Batié, Cameroon)
Senegal
West Ham United forward Demba Ba has been confirmed unfit for the clash while Olympique Marseille defender Souleymane Diawara, who had been limping with a muscle injury, showed signs of recovery during the team’s one and half hour training season in Dakar on Wednesday.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Khadim Ndiaye (Linguère), Bouna Coundoul (New York Red Bull, United States), Pape Latir Ndiaye (USO).
Defenders : Boukary Dramé (Sochaux, France), Souleymane Diawara (Marseille, France), Kader Mangane (Rennes, France), Lamine Sané (Bordeaux, France), Lamine Gassama (Lyon, France), Cheikh Mbengue (Toulouse, France).
Midfielders : Kara Mbodj (Tromso, Norway), Moustapha Bayal Sall (Saint-Etienne, France), Rémi Gomis (Valenciennes, France), Guirane Ndaw (Saragosse, Spain), Mouhamed Diamé (Wigan England), Pape Kouli Diop (Santander, Spain.)
Forwards: Issiar Dia (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Dème Ndiaye (Arles-Avignon, France), Mamadou Niang (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Souleymane Camara (Montpellier, France), Mame Biram Diouf (Blackburn, England), Papiss Cissé (Fribourg, Germany), Moussa Sow (Lille, France), Dame Ndoye (FC Copenhagen, Denmark).
PREDICTION
The day’s pressure will hang more over Cameroon, who are in search of a compulsory victory to re-navigate their humdrum Afcon campaign and restore dignity to the Indomitable Lions in front of millions of local fans, while Senegal will be cautiously watching for chances to sting and get a result, but the hosts’ red-hot fighting spirit might make the difference.
Cameroon 2-1 Senegal
