AFCON 2019 match preview: Benin v Cameroon

Outsiders Benin face Cameroon at the Ismailia Stadium on Tuesday as a tight Group F reaches an exciting climax, with all four teams in with a shout of reaching the last 16.

Cameroon lead the group with four points, while the Beninese are tied on two points with the Ivory Coast. Guinea-Bissau prop up the group with a solitary point, but a win in their final group game against the Ivorians could see them through.

With all to play for, Benin head into the game in solid form having drawn both group games to date and emerging victorious in the three games prior to the tournament.

It’s a similar story for the Cameroon, who have also won three and drawn two in their last five games. However, the head to head record is very one sided, with Cameroon winning the last five meetings between the sides.

Benin, coached by Frenchman Michel Dussuyer, have a reputation for being a hard working and industrious outfit which, perhaps, goes some way to making what is a fairly limited squad stronger than the sum of its parts.

Key men to look out for include combative Huddersfield forward Steve Mounie, who usually leads the line as a lone front man. They will also look to new Alaves centre back Olivier Verdon to marshal them as a defensive unit.

Experienced attacker Mikael Pote has scored both goals at the showpiece so far for what is an aging squad, based mostly in Turkish and French football.

Clarence Seedorf’s Cameroon have a little more quality throughout, with a very solid backline in front of Ajax’s Andre Onana in goal and a pacy and physical front line including Clinton N’Jie (Marseille), Karl Toko Ekambi (Villa real) and PSG man Maxim Choupo – Moting.

With no reports of any injury worries in either camp, we can look forward to what should be a close and well fought encounter. With so much on the line, I wouldn’t disscount the Beninese causing an upset. However I feel the extra quality of the Cameroon, backed up by a solid defence may just prove to strong.