Cameroon take a break from their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they square off against Uzbekistan at the Goyang Stadium in a friendly clash on Friday.
The Turanians, on the other hand, head into the weekend on a run of six consecutive victories across all competitions and will be looking to march on in the same vein.
Match preview
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High-flying Cameroon kicked off their quest for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on a winning note when they edged out Burundi 1-0 in their most recent outing on June 9.
They were made to work their socks off at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium where Karl Toko Ekambi scored the only goal of the game on the half-hour mark to edge out the resilient Burundi side.
Prior to that, Rigobert Song's men secured their eighth appearance at the World Cup in dramatic style as they edged out their North African counterpart Algeria on the away goal rule following a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Having lost 1-0 in front of their home fans on March 25, Cameroon visited the Stade Mustapha Tchaker four days later where Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored in the 22nd minute to take the game to extra time before Ekambi scored in the 124th minute to cancel out Ahmed Touba's 111st-minute strike to dash the hopes of the hosts.
The Indomitable Lions, who secured the bronze medal at the 2022 AFCON which they hosted, head into Friday's clash unbeaten in eight of their 10 games across all competitions this year, claiming seven wins and one draw in that time.
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Uzbekistan, on the other hand, cruised through the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in style as they secured three wins from their three games in Group C, including a 2-0 victory over Thailand in their most recent outing on June 14.
Level on six points and with top spot in the group up for grabs heading into the game, Jaloliddin Masharipov and Azizbek Turgunboev scored first-half goals to see off the Changsuek to hand the hosts a comfortable 2-0 victory at the Markaziy Stadion.
Uzbekistan have now won each of their last six games across all competitions, stretching back to a 1-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Georgia when the side squared off in November 2021.
This impressive run of results has been owing to the solid job done at both ends of the pitch as Srecko Katanec's men have scored a staggering 19 goals in their last six outings while conceding three and keeping four clean sheets in that time.
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Team News
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Cameroon have named 26 players for their upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan and South Korea, with the likes of Andre Onana, veteran defender Nicolas Nkoulou and captain Vincent Aboubakar headlining the team.
Onana should be given the nod in goal, while we could see a centre-back pairing of Jean-Charles Castelletto and Nouhou Tolo, with Olympiacos midfielder Pierre Kunde handling business at the heart of the park.
Aboubakar, who is currently third in the nation's all-time scoring chart with 33 goals, should spearhead the attack once again, alongside 30-year-old Ekambi, who has 11 goals in 50 caps.
Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has been called up to the Indomitable Lions' set-up after recently switching allegiances from France, while the likes of Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Darlin Yongwa and Swansea City man Olivier Ntcham will also push for their debuts.
Meanwhile, Katanec has named a 23-man squad for their upcoming friendlies, including the Nasaf Qarshi trio of goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov, defender Husniddin Aliqulov and midfielder Oybek Bozorov.
While the majority of the squad currently ply their trade in the Uzbekistan top flight, foreign-based players like Ibrohimhalil Yuldoshev, Khojimat Erkinov and Fatih Karagumruk midfielder Otabek Shukurov have also been handed call-ups.
Roma forward Eldor Shomurodov, who is currently the nation's second top-scorer, should spearhead the attack once again, alongside Tobol's Igor Sergeyev, who has 60 caps under his belt.
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Onana; Fai, Castelletto, Tolo, Nkoulou; Kunde, Gouet, Mandjeck; Ekambi, Mbeumo, Aboubakar
Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Aliqulov, Ashurmatov, Eshmurodov, Sayfiev; Shukurov, Mozgovoy; Sergeev, Turgunboev, Bozorov; Shomurodov
We say: Cameroon 2-1 Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan head into the weekend firing on all cylinders, having won each of their last seven outings. However, with their AFCON success fresh in their memory, Cameroon will take to the pitch full of confidence. We predict a thrilling contest on Friday with the Indomitable Lions grinding out a narrow win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
