Cameroon vs Gabon Tips & Preview - Goals to come at a premium in Group F opener

By Tolu Shotade

2 hours ago

Tolu Shotade 2 hours ago

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Cameroon seeking to regain AFCON glory despite recent struggles and internal issues.
Gabon are without top striker Aubameyang but boasts strong recent defensive form.
Their last meeting ended in a 0-0 draw, hinting at a potentially tight match.

Cameroon vs Gabon

Cameroon begin their quest to reclaim the Africa Cup of Nations as they battle Gabon in a Group F fixture on Wednesday.

The former champions have not been at their best lately and have a few internal problems coming into this tournament. Meanwhile, the Gabonese are also missing their top scorer, which could make for a low-scoring encounter here.

Cameroon News

Cameroon have won five AFCON titles, the most recent of which came in 2017. They also finished third in 2021 but crashed out in the round of 16 in the previous edition.

While Cameroon qualified comfortably for the AFCON, their recent form has been troubling, failing to win three of their last four matches and losing 1-0 to DR Congo in the World Cup qualifiers. They also have other issues, with manager Marc Brys fired just before the tournament after a clash with FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o.

Meanwhile, new boss David Pagou chose not to include reliable striker Vincent Aboubakar and goalkeeper Andre Onana in the squad for the tournament. Cameroon have also struggled in attack lately, with three of their last four matches producing under 2.5 goals while there have been under 1.5 goals in both halves in all three fixtures.

Gabon News

Gabon are regulars at the AFCON but are seeking their first title, having crashed in the group stage in the last edition. They finished second behind Morocco during the qualifiers after claiming three wins and a draw from six matches.

The Panthers come into this clash unbeaten in five of their last six matches, with their only defeat a 4-1 extra-time loss to Nigeria in the World Cup playoffs. However, they will be without star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is likely to miss the first two games of the competition.

While the absence of Aubameyang will be felt, Gabon have been generally solid at the back lately, keeping clean sheets in four of their last six matches. Three of the last four fixtures on this run have also produced under 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Cameroon have six wins while Gabon have been victorious just twice in the last nine matches. The only draw between both teams came in their last meeting as they battled to a 0-0 scoreline during the group stage of the 2017 AFCON.

Verdict

Cameroon v Gabon

There are too many distractions in the Cameroon team heading into this competition, which could have an effect on their campaign. Gabon have the quality to take advantage and can do enough to earn a win or draw here.

Cameroon and Gabon are missing key attackers here and with both teams playing out low-scoring contests in their recent matches, a repeat could be in the cards. There have been under 1.5 goals in both halves in three of Cameroon’s last four matches, and a similar pattern could be considered.

Under 2.5

Total Goals

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Gabon

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Under 1.5 Goals

In Both Halves

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