We look ahead to this Africa Cup of Nations Group C clash at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Monday with our Cameroon vs Guinea prediction and preview.
Cameroon vs Guinea: Pre-Match Facts
- The Opta supercomputer predicts a Cameroon victory, with Rigobert Song’s side winning 54.3% of pre-match simulations.
- Cameroon are making their 21st appearance in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, a tally only bettered by Egypt (26), Ivory Coast (25) and Ghana (24). Egypt (7) are the only team to have won the tournament on more occasions than the Indomitable Lions (5).
- Cameroon won the only previous AFCON to be held in Ivory Coast in 1984. They beat Nigeria 3-1 in the final.
- Penalty shootouts excluded, Cameroon have lost only one of their last 17 matches at the Africa Cup of Nations (W8 D8), a 3-2 defeat against Nigeria in the round of 16 of the 2019 edition.
- Guinea are taking part in their 14th AFCON, the most appearances of any country yet to win it.
- Guinea have reached the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in six of their last seven participations but have not progressed beyond the last 16 in that time.
- The Syli National have won only two of their last 13 AFCON matches (D6 L5), a 2-0 win against Burundi in 2019 and 1-0 against Malawi in 2022.
- Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi scored 13 of Cameroon’s 14 goals at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, eight and five respectively. Aboubakar’s total was the highest in an edition of the tournament since 1974.
- Cameroon boss Rigobert Song is making his first AFCON appearance as head coach. As a player, he featured in a joint-record eight tournaments and won it on two occasions (2000 and 2002).
- Guinea’s nine goals scored in the AFCON qualifiers were scored by eight different players, with Naby Keïta the only player to find the net twice.
Match Preview
Cameroon come into AFCON 2023 with selection headaches, with Bryan Mbuemo out injured and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting not taken to Ivory Coast after reportedly being dropped for missing recent friendlies.
Goalkeeper André Onana has missed the entire preparation for the tournament as well and will likely be unavailable for this game after Cameroon agreed to let him stay with Manchester United to play against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. Fabrice Ondoa has deputised between the sticks and will probably do so against Guinea.
As we said in our AFCON Group C preview, manager Rigobert Song will be looking to strike pair Vincent Aboubakar and Karl Toko Ekambi for inspiration. Aboubakar scored eight goals in the 2021 edition, just one behind the all-time tournament record held by Zaire’s Ndaye Mulamba in 1974 (nine).
Cameroon are not fancied by many to go all the way and win the tournament, despite only Egypt (seven) having won it more often than the Indomitable Lions (five), but the same was true before the 2017 AFCON, which they did win.
Opposite Song in the dugout will be another former Premier League player as Kaba Diawara leads Guinea into the 2023 AFCON. The ex-Arsenal striker will look to improve on Guinea’s performance two years ago, when they were eliminated in the last 16 by The Gambia.
The Syli National are appearing at their 14th AFCON, which is the most times a team has competed at the tournament without ever winning it.
Star striker Serhou Guirassy will have been hoping to carry his outstanding German Bundesliga form into the tournament and fire his country to glory, which he still could, but he has been hampered heading into the tournament by an injury sustained in Guinea’s final warm-up game against Nigeria. A scan suggested it was only a minor strain, but Guirassy seems unlikely to line up against Cameroon.
Coming into the tournament, Cameroon drew their only warm-up friendly 1-1 against Zambia, while Guinea beat Nigeria 2-0.
Cameroon vs Guinea Head-to-Head
This will be the third encounter between Cameroon and Guinea at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, all taking place in the group stages. The two previous meetings ended in draws: 2-2 in 1998 and 1-1 in 2015.
The 2015 clash saw Cameroon take the lead when Benjamin Moukandjo scored directly from a corner, before Ibrahima Traoré equalised from 20 yards just before half-time.
Cameroon vs Guinea Prediction
Ahead of kick-off, Cameroon are predicted to win according to the Opta supercomputer. The Indomitable Lions have been given a 54.3% chance of victory, with Guinea judged to have a 23.3% likelihood of winning. The draw occurred in 22.4% of the 10,000 pre-match simulations.
In the week leading up to AFCON 2023, our pre-tournament predictions suggested that Cameroon were seventh favourites to lift the trophy, doing so in 7.4% of simulations. Guinea won the tournament in just 1.5% of simulations, behind the likes of DR Congo, South Africa and Burkina Faso.
Below are their current, up-to-date chances of progression through AFCON 2023 according to the Opta supercomputer:
Cameroon vs Guinea Squads
Cameroon: André Onana, Fabrice Ondoa, Dévis Epassy, Simon Ngapandouetnbu, Nouhou Tolo, Junior Tchamadeu, Oumar Gonzalez, Darlin Yongwa, Christopher Wooh, Harold Moukoudi, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Enzo Tchato, Malcom Bokélé, Yvan Neyou, Olivier Kemen, Frank Anguissa, Ben Elliott, Wilfried Nathan Douala, Olivier Ntcham, Karl Toko-Ekambi, Frank Magri, Vincent Aboubakar, Moumi Ngamaleu, Faris Moumbagna, Leonel Ateba, Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, Clinton N’Jie.
Coach: Rigobert Song
Guinea: Ibrahim Koné, Aly Keita, Moussa Camara, Mohamed Ali Camara, Sekou Sylla, Julian Jeanvier, Saïdou Sow, Mouctar Diakhaby, Antoine Conté, Issiaga Sylla, Ibrahim Diakité, Seydouba Cissé, Amadou Diawara, Naby Keïta, Mory Konaté, Ilaix Moriba, Abdoulaye Touré, Aguibou Camara, Mohamed Bayo, José Kanté, Serhou Guirassy, Morgan Guilavogui, Facinet Conté, Karim Cissé, François Kamano.
Coach: Kaba Diawara
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our new football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.