Senegal v Cameroon – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Senegal faces Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations on Friday in Group C. The West African giants might be 3,000 kilometres apart geographically, but there will be a real rivalry in this match. The Lions of Teranga can seal a place in the Knockout Rounds by beating the Indomitable Lions.

Senegal Form  

Senegal qualified for the AFCON with relative ease in a group with Rwanda, Benin, and Mozambique. They drew 1-1 in Benin and 1-1 at home with Rwanda but qualification had already all but been secured. They beat Cameroon 1-0 in a friendly in October 2023 in France.

They began World Cup 2026 qualifying in November 2023, beating South Sudan 4-0 at home and drawing 0-0 away to Togo. Before this tournament, they beat Niger 1-0 in a friendly. Their opening match at this AFCON saw a 3-0 victory over Gambia. With 69% possession and 1.88 xG, it was a relative cruise.

Senegal Team News

Coach Aliou Cisse has been using a back three of late. Right-back Youssouf Sabaly missed the opening match and so did striker Boulaye Dia. It’s not clear if either will return for this clash.

It could be an unchanged XI for this one. Such is the depth at their disposal, we may again see Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham’s Pape Sarr, and Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye all left amongst the substitutes.

Senegal Motivation

Cisse is relatively pragmatic and often focused on fast transitions. Senegal will qualify with a victory.

With such a strong bench, there are options to turn the match. They won’t settle for a draw in this one, though it won’t be a bad result on paper.

Cameroon Form

Cameroon ended up topping their AFCON qualifying section, but it was a real struggle in a group with Namibia and Burundi. They beat Burundi 3-0 in the final match to seal qualification. Two friendly defeats followed in October 2023, 1-0 away to Russia and 1-0 to Senegal in Lens.

They made a good start to World Cup qualifying, beating Mauritius 3-0 at home before drawing 1-1 away to Libya. In a pre-tournament friendly, they played out a 1-1 draw vs Zambia. To start this AFCON showpiece, they could only draw 1-1 vs Guinea. Cameroon had 70% possession but only mustered 0.70 xG.

Cameroon Team News

Rigobert Song has Andre Onana available again after his late arrival from Man Utd. He will start in goal. Veteran forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has not made the squad and speedster Bryan Mbuemo is out injured for the tournament.

Captain Vincent Aboubakar will hope to return to the attack after missing the opening match with an injury.

Cameroon Motivation

After a draw in the opening match, this is a must-not-lose. A defeat leaves them needing a victory in the third match and qualification being out of their hands.

A draw is a decent result and should mean a win in the third match vs Gambia will seal a place in the latter stages.

Key Stats

Senegal have kept 4 consecutive clean sheets vs Cameroon (WDDW)

Senegal have lost just 2 of their 17 matches since their 2022 World Cup exit to England

Cameroon have won just 2 of their last 11 matches

Cameroon have conceded in 9 of their last 11 matches

Verdict

On current form, Senegal are favourites for this one. With key Cameroon striker Aboubakar, a doubt and the strength of the Senegal defence, a win to zero looks like the best tip.

Best Bet: Senegal win at 1.90

Alternate Bet: Senegal win to zero at 2.80

Multiplier Leg: Senegal win/draw double chance + Under 3.5 goals at 1.41

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis