Continental titans will clash in pursuit of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations as border rivals Nigeria and Cameroon face off in a meeting between two of the tournament’s most successful teams.
Nigeria (three) and Cameroon (five) boast five AFCON crowns between them, but one of Africa’s respected powers will exit the running when they duel in the round of 16 on Saturday.
AFCON: Nigeria vs Cameroon
- When: Saturday, July 7
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: beIN Sports
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
The Alexandria Stadium will host a last-16 matchup with defending AFCON champions Cameroon attempting to put some much needed lead in their attack. The Indomitable Lions are undefeated in their last seven games and made it through the group stage without conceding a goal. That statistic sounds only positive until one considers they followed a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau with two less flattering 0-0 draws with Ghana and Benin.
That being said, defenses are the foundations upon which championship teams are built, and Cameroon’s best bet would be to lean into the back line strength that’s served them so well until now. In order to avoid penalties on Saturday, they will need to score again.
Nigeria will be out to prevent that, but their most recent result—a 2-0 defeat to Group B winners Madagascar—has thrown up a lot of questions. The Super Eagles were 1-0 victors over Guinea and Burundi in their previous games, and Gernot Rohr’s side has now failed to score more than once in each of their last six games (three goals total).
Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju recently described the matchup as being “always tough and a war,” which describes the no love lost nature when these teams meet.
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