Cameroon vs Guinea prediction: AFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations betting tips on match 2024-01-14 17:00.
Cameroon will hope to draw inspiration from the class of 1984 as they kick off their CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign. The five-time champions lifted the trophy the last time the tournament was held in the Ivory Coast 40 years ago, and Indomitable Lions fans would love to see a repeat as they attempt to improve on their modest record of just one title from the last ten editions.
Rigobert Song’s side have been rocked by André Onana’s unavailability, with the goalkeeper missing this match to prioritise playing for Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur. Without him, his teammates drew 1-1 with Zambia in their final warm-up encounter, while they have lost just two of their last nine competitive games (W4, D3). Cameroon also tend to start the AFCON strongly, having been defeated in their opening fixture just twice from the 1998 edition onwards.
Something will have to give then against upcoming opponents Guinea, who have also lost their first match of the tournament just twice in their last eight finals appearances (W4, D2). Indeed, the National Elephants – who were stripped of the right to host the next AFCON in 2025 after the country was deemed unprepared – have reached the knockout phase in six of the last seven editions for which they have qualified.
Kaba Diawara’s men will firmly believe they can continue that trend as they head to the Ivory Coast following a 2-0 friendly triumph over Nigeria, their third win in five outings (D1, L1). And while they have only won two of their last dozen meetings with Cameroon (D5, L5), those two victories happen to have come in their last two clashes.
Key battle: Fabrice Ondoa is likely to deputise for Onana in goal and will be looking to improve on his already-strong record of just one defeat in nine AFCON games (W4, D4). Hoping to get the better of him will be Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy, who has scored a staggering 19 goals in 18 appearances for club and country this season, winning 11 of the 12 matches in which he has netted.
Hot streak: Cameroon have not lost any of the last 17 competitive fixtures in which they have scored first (W14, D3).