Song hopes to correct mistakes in Senegal clash

AS one of the most mouthwatering clashes on the continent this week, Senegal and Cameroon will do battle in their second Group C Africa Cup of Nations tie today, with the game set to take place at Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro. Kick-off is at 7pm (Zim time).

Current form

Senegal began their title defence with a 3-0 win against Gambia on Monday, 15 January and subsequently moved to the top of Group. While Pape Gueye opened the scoring at Stade Charles Konan Banny de Yamoussoukro, with Lamine Camara netting a second-half brace to round off the scoreboard.

Cameroon on the other hand were made to work for their first point at the Afcon following their 1-1 stalemate with Guinea on Monday. The Indomitable Lions were in for a long evening when Guinean star Mohamed Bayo netted a 10th minute opener. However, Frank Magri came to Cameroon’s rescue in the 51st minute as Rigobert Song’s side claimed a point in their first game.

Team news

Senegal completed their first match with no reported injuries and are expected to make minimal changes in their upcoming tie. For Cameroon, Andre Onana will be in contention for a place in Song’s starting XI this week, after Song opted to exclude the Manchester United goalkeeper from his squad that faced Guinea. Also, Cameroon will hope to have captain Vincent Aboubaker back soon, after the striker sustained an injury in training days before the tournament.

What was said

“I am very satisfied with the performance of the players, especially since things were difficult given the climatic conditions and heat that we faced. We will continue to work hard on a few things that need to be rectified but overall, I am very happy with this victory”, said Aliou Cissa after his side’s opening Group C victory.

“We will correct the mistakes; the players will know their mission. For my part, I will work with my assistants on the technical team to correct the problems we encountered,” coach Rigobert Song mentioned ahead of the Senegal clash.

Players to watch

Senegal: Sadio Mane — As a big game player, Mane is expected to produce the goods against Cameroon today. Yet to open his account at the Afcon, the Al Nassr star could look to hurt the Cameroon backline with his direct runs into the area.

Cameroon: Andre Onana — Said to be one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the game today, Onana will no doubt add a different dimension to the Indomitable Lions defence. Given his shaky start to life at Manchester United, Onana could use the Afcon to propel himself to top form again.

Head-to-head

Cameroon holds a slight advantage over Senegal in the head-to-head count, winning three times in the six matches played between the two nations in all competitions, while the Lions of Teranga have two victories to their name.

All of Cameroon’s victories were recorded in the knockout stages of the Afcon, including a 3-2 win on penalties in the 2002 final