Ivory Coast will target a home victory in Group D of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier when they host Cameroon at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on Monday.
Kick-off is at 19h00 GMT.
The Elephants , bidding for a fourth World Cup , will be going into the game off a goalless draw against Mozambique in their opening Group D match played four days ago in Maputo.
Ivory Coast dominated the match but failed to have a killer punch as they went into the match without four of their key players Premier League players Eric Bailly, Serge Aurier and Willy Boly due to travel restrictions.
Patrice Beaumelle, the Ivory Coast coach, will hope to turn things around when they face an adventurous and tougher Cameroon setup.
“We know the strength of our next opponent,” said the Frenchman after Mozambique draw. “But playing at home will allow us to produce a better performance. It will be a great game between two powerful teams.”
Cameroon, meanwhile got off to a winning start after beating Malawi 2-0 with Vincent Aboubakar and Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui scoring the goals,
The Indomitable Lions, who are seeking to extend their African record seven World Cup appearances, are currently enjoying a two-point lead at the top of the pool, which places them in pole position after Mozambique and Ivory Coast drew 0-0 in the other match.
Toni Conceicao, the Cameroon coach, was pleased by the win against Malawi and he is hoping that his charges will go past the Elephants.
“The players are starting to understand what I want defensively and offensively. Defensively the team is solid, offensively we have a lot of play. We have all the tools to fight the other big countries,” said the Portuguese as quoted by SuperSport.
Ivory Coast an Cameroon have clashed 19 times in official international matches, according to FIFA statistics. The Elephants have claimed nine wins compared to eight for Indomitable Lions.
