Cameroon vs Brazil prediction: WORLD: World Cup betting tips on match 2022-12-01 19:00.
Cameroon’s hopes of negotiating a FIFA World Cup group for the first time in 32 years were kept alive by a spirited comeback against Serbia last time out, with the Indomitable Lions roaring from 3-1 down to record a 3-3 draw. However, the five-time AFCON champions still have no choice but to go all out for victory in their Group G finale, but even with victory they would still need a favourable result from the Serbia and Switzerland game.
As if the situation wasn’t difficult enough, no African team has beaten Brazil for nearly two decades. In fact, Cameroon’s 1-0 FIFA Confederations Cup win over the Seleção in 2003 remains the only time a CAF-region team has ever beaten Brazil or kept a clean sheet against them – with current coach Rigobert Song captaining the starting XI on the day!
A hard-fought 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Monday courtesy of Casemiro’s late strike secured Brazil’s safe passage to the knockout stage. In turn, the Seleção’s hoped route to another world title – a record-extending sixth of all time – could still be perfect, with no group stage draws or penalty shootouts. That was the case in both 1970 and 2002, when Mário Zagallo and Luiz Felipe Scolari respectively masterminded those flawless triumphs.
The latter success also forms part of what is already a pre-tournament record ten straight World Cups where Brazil have won the group stage. But while coach Tite is fully expected to make it 11 in a row here against Group G’s worst FIFA-ranked side, he might opt to rest some main influencers. Largely because the likes of 1950 showpiece conquerors Uruguay, high-scoring Ghana and Euro 2016 winners Portugal potentially lie in wait just days later, but he is also safe in the knowledge Brazil have beaten Cameroon by a three-goal margin in both prior World Cup meetings (1994 & 2014).
Key battle: Though four of his last six competitive goals have opened the scoring, Eric Choupo-Moting equalised against Serbia to ensure that Cameroon did not match Mexico’s 64-year old record of nine straight defeats at the finals. His main nemesis will be Brazilian stopper Alisson, who could complete a hat-trick of group stage shutouts – something attained by only three other goalkeepers this century prior to the current tournament!
Hot stat: Brazil have scored exactly three times in five of their seven previous World Cup wins over African opposition.
World Cup trivia: For at least another four years, Didi (1954), Jairzinho (1970) and Romário (1994) are guaranteed to remain the only Brazilians to have scored in every group game of a post-war finals featuring 16+ teams (1954-present).