African football giants Cameroon host Kenya in the third round of group matches for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday, 11 October 2024 at the Japoma Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Both teams are tied on 4 points after two rounds of matches, and the winner here will rise to the top of Group J and a step closer to qualifying for the AFCON tournament proper in 2026.
On paper, it may look like a straightforward win for Cameroon in front of their home fans, but Kenya are a tricky opponent with potential to get a result here. Cameroon won their opening match at home 1-0 against Namibia while Kenya drew 0-0 with Zimbabwe.
Cameroon’s goalkeeper Andre Onana of Manchester United recognized Kenya as a potential threat to their chances after the second round of matches.
According to Onana, “Kenya is the only team in our group that is giving us competition, but I hope we make it to the qualifying round. Zimbabwe’s game was a little bit hard but we came out with a good point.”
These comments came after Cameroon were frustrated to a barren draw against Zimbabwe on September 10 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in South Africa where the match was played. Kenya beat Namibia in their second game to go top of the group back then.
Team News
Both teams have brought their big stars for this clash, the first of two meetings during this international break. The return leg will be played on Monday 14 October in Kampala Uganda.
Brentford’s on-form striker Patrick Mbeumo will lead the attack for Cameroon alongside veteran striker Vincent Abubakar. Mbeumo has 3 goals in the last 3 games for Brentford FC in the English Premier League.
Other regulars available in the Cameroon squad include midfielder Zambo Anguissa (Napoli, Italy), Andre Onana (Manchester United), Christian Bassogo (Al-Okhdood, Saudi Arabia), and Carlos Baleba (Brighton, England)
Kenya have also been boosted by the return of their leading scorer and captain Michael Olunga of Al-Duhail in Qatar. Olunga missed the opening two group games due to injury.
Other stars called up for this fixture include John Avire, who scored against Namibia, Richard Odada (Dundee United), and Timothy Ouma (IF Elfsborg, Sweden).
Probable Line-ups:
Cameroon: Onana; Nouhou, Wooh, Ngadeu, Tchatchoua; Baleba, Anguissa, Hongla; Bassogog, Aboubakar, Mbeumo
Kenya: Omondi; Owino, Okumu, Nondi, Omurwa; Abuya, Odada, Akumu; Avire, Olunga, Ayunga
Prediction
Cameroon are unbeaten in their last 4 games (won 2, drew 2). Their home record is even better with 4 wins and 1 draw in their last 5 matches at home.
Kenya are unbeaten in their last 3 matches (2 wins, 1 draw) and also boast of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their last 5 games across all competitions.
The last meeting between Cameroon and Kenya was back in 2010. Cameroon won 3-1.
Going into this upcoming match, we expect Cameroon to dominate but their efforts are likely to be frustrated by Kenya’s strong defense. The visitors will be looking to hit their hosts on the counter, a strategy that proved very effective against Namibia last time.
Prediction 1: Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.55
Prediction 2: Draw @ 3.85