Host, Cameroon, hopes to make it three wins out of three matches as the final group matches at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021, begin today, Monday, January 17, 2022 in Group A.
Cape Verde will hold its hope of reaching the next round when it faces hosts Cameroon at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé at 16:00 GMT.
This will be the first encounter between Cape Verde and Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Cameroon won the first two games in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (2-1 v Burkina Faso and 4-1 v Ethiopia). Cameroon is in first place in group A with 6 points, and scored six goals in the process with captain Vincent Abubakar leading by example, having scored four of his side’s goals against Burkina Faso and Ethiopia
Cameroon forward Vincent Aboubakar has been directly involved in six goals in his last four appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations (five goals, one assist).
The Indomitable Lions are seeking to end the group on maximum points to confirm their good run and their tournament favorites status. The last time Cameroon won its opening three games in a single edition of the tournament was in 2006.
Expectations ahead of the match
Head Coach of the Indomitable Lions, Antonio Conceiçao, said in the pre-match interview that his team will approach the game with all seriousness even though he will rest some of his key players.
“We are going to play against a good, disciplined, diligent attacking team. Cape Verde are a difficult team that will certainly create problems for us. We are not going to let up in this game, although we are going to rotate the team. Even if we have already qualified, but this Monday’s game is still important for us. We have to approach this meeting very seriously. The spirit remains the same within the group. We want to go all the way and so write a new page in the history of Cameroonian football”.
Antonio Conceiçao
Cape Verde’s last four games at the Africa Cup of Nations have seen just two goals scored (one for, one against), having kept three clean sheets in this period, but also failing to score on three occasions themselves (W1 D2 L1). To progress to the round of 16, the Blue Sharks must avoid a defeat in today’s game against the free-scoring Cameroonian side.
Humberto Bettencourt, Cape Verde assistant coach, said: “We are only focusing on a positive result allowing us to qualify for the next round. It will be a different match than those in the qualifiers. We have to be consistent if we want to reach the round of 16. Our primary goal is to get to the next round. We remain focused on achieving our objectives and going as far as possible”.
Meanwhile, the Blue Sharks will take inspiration from their last encounter against Cameroon. Both sides were in the same group in the qualifiers, and their last meeting saw Cape Verde winning 3-1 in March last year.
Cape Verde succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Burkina Faso after an opening day win over Ethiopia. A point might be enough, but the team would have to wait for other results to be in its favor.
Burkina Faso v Ethiopia
The Stallions of Burkina Faso will fancy their chances when they take on Ethiopia in the other Group A match at the Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam. The last group matches in Group A will have played simultaneously at 16:00 GMT.
Burkina Faso and Ethiopia’s only previous encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations took place in the group phase of the 2013 tournament – Burkina Faso won 4-0. It is The Stallions’ biggest victory to date in the tournament.
The Stallions of Burkina Faso have only lost one of their last five games in the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (W2 D2), with that lone defeat coming against Cameroon on Match Day 1. They will be looking to win consecutive games in the group stage of the competition for the first time since February 1998 (v Algeria and Guinea).
Ethiopia, on the other hand, is winless in its last 10 games at the Africa Cup of Nations (D3 L7), and has lost its last four in a row. A defeat here would equal the team’s longest losing run in the history of the competition (five games between 1968 and 1970).
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