Most betting agencies have given Cameroon the worst odds for this World Cup, expecting them to finish bottom of group A. Cameroon’s manager Volker Finke and the rest of his squad will want to do their utmost to ensure that the African team are not the first to get knocked out.

Cameroon’s German manager took over last May, and had less than a dozen games with this team since and he’s not exactly bullish about Cameroon’s chances at the World Cup:

“Football today is about depth, you need a minimum of 10 to 12 individual players of top ability. They have to give to the team. It is no longer a game where just one can make a difference. You need many, each of whom can make a difference.”

World Cup Group Play Schedule:
Fri 13/06/14 Mexico vs. Cameroon – Estadio das Dunas
Thu 19/06/14 Cameroon vs. Croatia – Arena Amazonia
Mon 23/06/14 Cameroon vs. Brazil – Nacional

Their recent record in friendlies has also been poor, but this may be due to the fact that Finke has been playing inexperienced players to see which can make his final squad on Monday.

Cameroon have an experienced defensive partnership in Marseille’s N’Kolou and Galatasaray’s Chedjou, as well as the up and coming Joel Matip from Schalke. They also have both the lovely Tottenham hating ex Tottenham player Assou-Ekotto and Lyon’s Bedimo Nsamé vying for that left back spot.

In midfield we’ll be seeing familiar faces, Mbia will be hoping to continue his form after an amazing season with Sevilla, winning the Europa League. A competition Manchester United couldn’t even get into this year.

Alex Song will be hoping to attract a new suitor by being Cameroon’s best player, he certainly has the ability to make a difference and remind everyone that he still exists, despite rumours that the Nou Camp dugout has swallowed him whole.

Jean Makoun II, and Landry N’Guemo make up for the rest of the midfield familiarity that Cameroon has had over the last decade.

Upfront, the lions hope to see Samuel Eto’o have an amazing last World Cup before retiring from international football. Maybe Eto’o can show Mourinho how old he is, rumour has it that he’s been begging for a move to Arsenal this summer, especially now that Park Chu Young has finally decided to join the South Korean army.

The one player to watch for Cameroon will be 22 year old Vincent Aboubakar, he finished the season scoring 16 goals and providing 7 assists for Lorient in just 35 games.

And he’s also an exceptional diver too, but it may take more than a few defensive drills to deal with diving like this:

Its understandable if people don’t think Cameroon will get out of this group, but performances to make their countrymen proud and giving the rest of us a few magic moments is just what the World Cup is about.

By
Alexander Beck