Indomitable Lions, warriors to fight for Group J top spot

Players in Zimbabwe © BackpagePix

Cameroon will go head to head with Zimbabwe in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier in Group J at the Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo on Tuesday.

Kick-off is at 15.00 CET.

CURRENT FORM

The Indomitable Lions extended their unbeaten run to seven matches across all competitions when they drew 0-0 away to Namibia on 13 November after registering three draws and four wins.

Cameroon occupy top spot in the Group J standings after qualifying for the Afcon finals, and barring defeat against Zimbabwe, the Indomitable Lions would finish top of the table.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe extended their winless run to three matches across all competitions when they drew Kenya 1-1 at home on November 15 after recording two successive defeats and a draw.

The Warriors, who have also qualified for the finals, are placed second in the Group J standings – two points behind leaders Cameroon and a win would see Zimbabwe pip the Indomitable Lions to first place.

TEAM NEW

Cameroon will be boosted by Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s availability as the midfielder missed the match against Namibia due to the birth of his son, but Carlos Baleba and Bryan Mbeumo are injury doubts.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, are without two players, namely Gerald Takwara, who has a shoulder injury, and Marshall Munetsi, who has been released from camp early after the team qualified for the finals.

WHAT WAS SAID?

Cameroon head coach Marc Brys

“We have five days to get ready. The first day will be for recovery and then we will spend the rest studying our opponents and working on our strategy,” Brys said.

“Zimbabwe are a strong team; they play fast and are close to us in skills so we need to focus on what they do well. We will go straight home for training,

“And I think four to five days should be enough to get back to our usual starting lineup.”

Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees

“You have to take every game seriously because it counts in the Fifa rankings and if you get a better Fifa ranking, you get a better seeding in the next tournament,” Nees said.

“These results have consequences. We haven’t lost a game so far and we will continue like that. But we also have to look at other players…

“I want to see how we can assemble the team to face Cameroon and a few other players may also deserve a chance to play.”

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Cameroon and Zimbabwe have met 12 times across all competitions. The Indomitable Lions have won seven matches compared to the Warriors’ three wins, while two matches ended in draws.

The last time the two teams met, they drew 0-0 in the 2025 Afcon qualifiers played in Kampala, Uganda on September 10.