A “David vs. Goliath” matchup closes out Round of 16 action at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday when hosts Cameroon encounter AFCON debutants Comoros. A successful group stage saw the hosts win Group A and the Indomitable Lions are fully confident in achieving their goal of making it to the final. Comoros achieved a magical win against Ghana to sneak into the knockout stages and will be relieved that goalkeeper Ali Ahamada is cleared to play after previous reports indicated Les Coelacanthes would need to use a field player in goal.
Cameroon progressed without too much trouble but there are still a couple of issues that linger for the hosts. Slow starts have been a theme so far and goalkeeper André Onana has struggled due to a lack of match time at the club level. Manager Toni Conceição declared his full belief in Onana and dismissed criticism of the Ajax player’s style of goalkeeping, citing Onana’s proven experience at the top levels of European club football.
Conceição will not have any Covid-19 issues to worry about with his squad and Camfoot has an article below that details the high level of security around the Cameroonian team to prevent infections, with players not permitted to interact with even close family during the competition. The Indomitable Lions will count on their high octane attack to prevail on Monday and competition leading scorer Vincent Aboubakar will be eager to add to his total of five goals so far.
Comoros are still celebrating a dream achievement of making it to the knockout stages, but news sources stated on Sunday that the Coelacanths would have to use a field player in goal following Salim Ben Boina’s injury against Ghana and Covid-19 infections for the other two keepers. However, the latest tests indicate that veteran Ali Ahamada has tested negative and will be available to the relief of Comorian supporters. There are several other Covid-19 positive tests that will leave out squad members Kassim Abdullah, Alexis Souahy, Yacine Bourhane, Naibou Aboubakari and Mohamed N’Chingama as well as head coach Amir Abdou. Therefore, the underdogs will have a thin bench but the majority of starting players remain available to contribute.
Key Matchup: Fouad Bachirou (COM) vs. André Zambo-Anguissa (CMR)
Bachirou is a plucky defensive-minded midfielder who will be responsible for disrupting the connection between Cameroon’s defense and attack. If Bachirou and his teammates can keep Zambo-Anguissa and the rest of Cameroon’s central midfield contained, the Indomitable Lions will be a bit one-dimensional and limited to attacks down the flanks.
Prediction: Cameroon 4-1 Comoros
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