Cameroon are set to take on Comoros in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 game at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé on Monday.
Kick-off is at 19h00 GMT.
The Indomitable Lions advanced to this round after finishing at the top of Group A standings ahead of runners-up Burkina Faso.
As a result, Cameroon are back in the Round of 16 for the second time in a row and they will be looking to reach the finals and win their sixth African title.
Cameroon advanced kicked off their Afcon 2021 campaign with a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso and then thrashed Ethiopia 4-1 before being held to a 1-1 draw by Cape Verde.
Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Brillant Toko Ekambi are the indomitable key players and they will look to help their team overcome the lowly-ranked Islanders.
The Indomitable Lions’ coach Antonio Conceiçao’s seem confident about the rest of the competition as their motive is for the trophy not to go beyond Cameroon boarders.
“We must respect our opponent of the day even if they are playing their first AFCON,” indicated the Cameroonian coach. “We are calmly preparing our meeting and our objective remains clear, the February 6th final”.
He continued:“We know that we are going against a good team from the Comoros. We have studied our opponent who remains difficult. It is true that it is not a team with a big name, but they have very good players.
“They are a disciplined team, focused and playing without pressure. The objective for us is to win to go further in the competition.”
Meanwhile, Comoros progressed into the Round of 16 after stunning the football world despite the current edition of Africa’s most prestigious competition being the first in their history.
Their incredible 3-2 win over Ghana proved crucial to their campaign – and the Coelacantes have moved to the last-16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.
A 1-0 loss to Gabon in their opening fixture looked as though it would set a precedent for the tournament.
This was followed by a 2-0 loss to Morocco, although Gabon’s last minute equaliser against Ghana meant that the side knew they would qualify with win over the ‘Black Stars’.
Comoros come into Cameroon clash as a disadvantaged side without a recognized goalkeeper as their first-choice custodian, Salim Ben Boina was injured in their final Group C match, while fellow keepers Ali Ahamada and Moyadh Ousseini have tested positive for Covid-19.
“We played our all-out during the group stage and that’s what allowed us to progress to the round of 16. We are experiencing an exceptional situation with several players and staff members affected by COVID-19,” said Comoros goalkeepers’ coach Daniel Padovani.
“We must manage this situation and find the necessary solutions. We will play with the same values, with our usual state of mind”.
This will be the first Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Cameroon and Comoros, while it will be just the third time that the tournament hosts will play a debutant in a knock-out round match.
The winner will face either Gambia or Guinea for a place in the 2021 Afcon quarterfinal at the same venue on Sunday.
