Nigeria V Cameroon
Saturday 6 July 2019 – 17:00 Kick-Off
Africa Cup of Nations
Pick: Draw
Bookmaker: Bet365
Odds: 19/10
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/4 | 19/10 | 21/10 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from Bet365 on July 4, 2019 at 09:25)
Africa Cup of Nations Betting at Bet365
Preview: A meeting between two of the most decorated African nations. Nigeria, a former three-time winner, will attempt to dethrone the reigning champions Cameroon, who are bidding to clinch a sixth Africa Cup of Nations title at this tournament. There is very little separating them in the betting, and we wait to see whether that will be reflected on the pitch.
Nigeria Preview – Can Super Eagles find their rhythm?
The Super Eagles are still to find their rhythm at this tournament. That is according to captain John Obi Mikel, whose comments came immediately after his side’s shock 2-0 defeat to Madagascar in their final group game. That loss, to a team 63 places below them in the rankings, was only their first of the competition following narrow successes over Burundi and Guinea (both 1-0). It will have done little to boost morale in camp however, one currently contending with poor form on the pitch and financial uncertainty off it.
Coach Gernot Rohr made a number of changes against Madagascar, possibly in a bid to try and reinvigorate a side that had been flat for a while now. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t have the desired affect. Nigeria lacked any cohesion, finishing the contest with only one effort on goal. It was also the third occasion in the past six games in which they failed to even score, while only once – against minnows Seychelles (3-1) – have they scored more than one goal in any their past nine internationals.
For a team not exactly lacking in firepower (Ahmed Musa, Alex Iwobi and Odion Igahlo have all featured regularly at the top level), their current problems in front of goal is a huge concern and is perhaps a sign of deep-rooted issues. Reports suggest the players are constantly chasing the Nigerian Football Federation for unpaid wages and bonuses, which is an unwanted distraction to say the least.
Irrespective of all that, Nigeria need to find a way of performing when on the pitch. They were fortunate to scrape wins earlier in the tournament against Burundi and Guinea, requiring late goals in contests that were a lot closer than expected. They will be facing stronger opposition from now on and unless there is a significant and imminent improvement in performance levels, it isn’t easy finding confidence in the Nigerians at present.
Cameroon Preview – Resolute defence to power Indomitable Lions into quarter-finals?
A bright start to the tournament has fizzled out for defending champions Cameroon, whose goalless draw with Benin in the final group game meant they qualified for the knockout phase as runners-up from Group F. It was their second drab draw in succession, following a 0-0 stalemate with Ghana. The euphoria and momentum garnered from their opening 2-0 defeat of Guinea-Bissau has been and gone.
Nonetheless, The Indomitable Lions remain unbeaten so far and are still to concede their first goal as Ajax shot-stopper Andre Onana continues to impress between the sticks. In fact, Cameroon’s previous sixteen internationals has seen just one team – Morocco, in a friendly – score more than one goal past them inside 90 minutes. A Cameroon WIN to NIL is 7/2 with SkyBet.
No defeats in six matches this year (W3 D3) is further proof of a team that is very difficult to overcome. So if they can get their forwards firing again, Cameroon could be the real deal. Warm up games against Zambia (2-1) and Mali (1-1) suggested a team gradually gaining in confidence and was a slight improvement on their efforts in qualification. Only in their final qualifier, against lowly Comoros, did the reigning African champions notch more than one goal, scoring a combined total of three in five games beforehand.
Former Stoke City striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has more goals than anyone else in this team (15 in 52 caps) but has never been prolific. Marseille’s Clinton N’Jie is the only player who gets remotely close to his tally (8 strikes in 28 appearances) and does play a more active role in attacks, so he would appear a better bet to end his team’s scoring woes and is 3/1 to score anytime.
Nigeria V Cameroon Key Facts:
- Nigeria qualified as runners-up from Group B with a record of W2 D0 L1, GF2 GA2.
- Cameroon qualified as runners-up from Group F with a record of W1 D2 L0, GF2 GA0.
- Nigeria’s last defeat to Cameroon was back in 1989, winning four of six meetings since. The most recent, in April 2017, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Betting Summary
There isn’t a great deal splitting these two teams in the betting. Nigeria are slight favourites at 6/4, with Cameroon bigger at 21/10 and the draw available at 19/10 (all odds with Bet365). Neither have been overly impressive thus far, with goals in particular proving a rarity.
Cameroon remain unbeaten at least, and arguably achieved this in a more testing group. They also have a mean defence to fall back on should their forward players continue to misfire. Nigeria do deserve some credit though, for winning their opening two games of the tournament despite not playing particularly well. It’s usually a sign of a good team, although I am not so sure in this instance.
In what could be a tight game with few scoring opportunities, backing the draw feels like the sensible option.
