Cameroon is in Group G of the World Cup with Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia. Cameroon is not in the best of shape and will have to do a lot to hope to take one of the two tickets for the round of 16.
Five-star Brazil
Cameroon can ask Ghana and Tunisia: Neymar's current Brazil is simply unplayable. Worse, the Seleção, great favorite of the tournament, let their opponents think they are juniors or even cadets before her, not hesitating to humiliate them when she has the opportunity. The proof is that the band with Vinicius (Real Madrid), Casemiro (Manchester United), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Alisson Becker (Liverpool), to name but a few, had no qualms about inflicting beatings on South Korea (5-0), Ghana (3-0) and Tunisia (5-1) in their last friendly matches. All with a disconcerting ease.
Taking into consideration the current state of form of Tite's men, we can not help but tremble for the Indomitable Lions, as the strength between the two teams is gaping. On one side you have the serene Brazilians, determined and sure of their strength. On the other hand, a worrying and sluggish Cameroon that struggles against teams like Jamaica (1-1) or South Korea (1-0). More than the overflowing optimism of Samuel Eto'o, it will take a miracle to see the Indomitable Lions create a sensation against the leader of the FIFA ranking.
Serbia hangers-on
Serbia (25th in the FIFA rankings) may not be as good as Brazil, but they are still a tough team to play against. Their strength: a solid team, a fighting spirit, but also an outstanding striker on the front line, namely Aleksandar Mitrovic (76 caps, 50 goals). It is him who offered the qualification to the World Cup to his team against Portugal (2-2 in the first leg, 1-2 in the return), forcing Cristiano Ronaldo's team to go through the play-offs.
In Qatar, the Eagles will open their third World Cup, five less than Cameroon. That said, make no mistake, the Serbs will be tough opponents for Cameroon. They even pass as favorites ahead of the 2017 African champions and many other teams, according to 2007 Ballon D'or winner Kaka. "Behind Brazil, I put France and Argentina and surprisingly Serbia," he argued on RMC.
The Swiss knife
Granit Xhaka and Switzerland torment France in the round of 16 at Euro 2021
His resounding performance against France and all its talents (Mbappé, Benzema, Pogba, Kanté) in the round of 16 of Euro 2021 still remains in the minds. While trailing 3-1 with a few minutes left in regulation time, the Nati had found the resources to equalize, before eventually winning on penalties (4-5) against the defending world champions. If they are only considered as outsiders, Switzerland (14th in the FIFA rankings) will have their say in Qatar. Especially since they have always made it through the group stage in their last five major tournaments.
🧳 Switzerland can plan for Qatar 2022
🛣 Italy's road to the #WorldCup will continue with the play-offs#WCQ pic.twitter.com/oIsRytE33r— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 15, 2021
Lodged in the same group as Italy during the World Cup qualifiers, Granit Xhaka's (Arsenal) teammates had not experienced a defeat. They even finished first in the group ahead of the Squadra Azzura champion Euro 2021.
