Preview: Cameroon vs Zimbabwe – Prediction, Team News, Lineups

With top position in group J in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications still up for grabs, Cameroon and Zimbabwe will fight at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo on Tuesday.

The home side are unbeaten in each of their last seven meetings against the visitors, whose last win in this fixture came back in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers.

Match preview

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Cameroon had to settle for part of the spoils from their last outing against the Warriors of Namibia, which ended goalless at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.

Despite being at the helm for large periods of the clash in South Africa, Marc Bryce saw his side fail to find the back of the net for only the second time since taking the reins from Rigobert Song back in April.

Nevertheless, it is still a more than positive start to life in charge of the Indomitable Lions for 62-year-old Brys, who is yet to taste defeat after picking up four wins and three draws from his seven games to date.

With 11 points on the board from a possible 15, Cameroon currently leads the way in Group J of the qualifiers, two points ahead of Zimbabwe heading into Tuesday’s meeting in Yaounde and a further four points ahead of Kenya in third place.

Tuesday’s hosts will now aim to maintain their current seven-game unbeaten run and avoid losing through an AFCON qualifying campaign for the first time since 2017, where they recorded four wins and two draws from six games.

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Zimbabwe started their qualifying journey slowly with back-to-back stalemates against Kenya and Cameroon before getting back on track with six points from a possible six in both October encounters against Namibia.

Michael Nees‘s men took on local rivals Kenya in their penultimate game on Friday afternoon, knowing they only needed to avoid defeat to secure a place in next year’s continental showpiece in Morocco.

The Warriors went into the locker room with a narrow advantage provided by Tawanda Maswanhiseopens just after half an hour before Jonas Ayunga restored parity in the early exchanges of the second period.

Zimbabwe are one of 11 teams unbeaten in AFCON qualification after the first five rounds of matches and can become one of only two current group runners-up to achieve the feat, along with the Comoros.

However, Tuesday’s visitors will have it all to do in their final meeting given their woeful away record in competitive games excluding major tournaments, which has yielded just one win since March 2021.

Cameroon Africa Cup of Nations qualification format:

Cameroon form (all competitions):

Zimbabwe Africa Cup of Nations Qualification Form:

Zimbabwe form (all competitions):

Team news

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Nicolas Ngamaleu and Yvan Neyou were both pulled out with respective injury scares against Namibia last time out, making their involvement for Cameroon here currently uncertain.

Should any of the aforementioned players be deemed unfit to participate, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Jean-Charles Castelletto will be the favorites to enter the hosts’ line-up.

Skipper Vincent Aboubakar failed to let in Roger Milla second in his nation’s all-time scoring charts, but is now up to 107 caps.

Following his strike against Kenya, Tawanda Maswanhise has now opened his account for Zimbabwe to make it four goals in his last four games for club and country.

Gerald Takwara could see his streak of starting all five AFCON qualifiers end here after the 30-year-old was forced off with injury last time out.

Cameroon possible starting line-up:
Masturbation; Tolo, Wooh, Ngadeu, Tchatchoua; Hongla; Bassogog, Magri, Neyou, N’Koudou; Aboubakar

Zimbabwe possible starting line-up:
Aruba; Zemura, Hadebe, Godknows, Garananga; Rinomhota, Nakamba; Maswanhise, Munetsi, Musona; Billiards

We say: Cameroon 2-1 Zimbabwe

Both teams have given a good account of themselves over the past few games, and Tuesday’s meeting could really swing either way.

That said, we’re backing the home team to emerge triumphant at the full-time whistle.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match, please click here.

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