First meets second in Group D of the African World Cup qualification, as leaders Ivory Coast travel to face Cameroon on Tuesday in the knowledge that a point will secure progression to the third round.
An almost-perfect campaign so far has Ivory Coast on the brink of the next round, whilst Cameroon will be hoping to pull off a shock result in the final group game to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Match preview
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By far the two standout sides in Group D heading into the final international break of the calendar year, Cameroon and Ivory Coast remained the only teams who were able to progress.
Both Malawi and Mozambique had already been eliminated, leaving this blockbuster clash as the decisive match-up in the group.
Ivory Coast entered the international break on top of the table, having gone unbeaten in their first four games so far.
Their only blip on an otherwise perfect record was a goalless draw against Mozambique in the opening match of second round qualification.
A statement victory against Cameroon in the first fixture between the two put Ivory Coast in pole position, where they have picked up three wins from their following trio of fixtures.
Should Cameroon have hopes of upsetting the group leaders and sneaking through to the third round themselves, they will have to do something that they have not managed since 2014 and beat Ivory Coast in a competitive match.
A 4-1 demolition of the West African nation remains their last win over Ivory Coast, making their task on Saturday a difficult proposition.
Defeat against Ivory Coast in the corresponding fixture is the only time that Cameroon have dropped points in the group, with back-to-back victories against both Mozambique and Malawi helping to maintain their World Cup dreams.
By the time that Qatar 2022 rolls around, it will have been eight years since the Indomitable Lions last graced the world stage, with a significant drop-off experienced from their golden generation of the past.
Once the envy of African football, Cameroon qualified for seven World Cups in nine attempts between 1982 and 2014, with their best performance a quarter-final finish at the 1990 tournament.
Arresting those past demons will offer some inspiration for the Cameroon side, as they look to cause an upset in the final group match of second round qualifying.
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Team News
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Cameroon's chances of an upset will depend on whether their big-name players are able to perform when it matters most, with much of their hopes resting on the shoulders of Eric Choupo-Moting.
The Bayern Munich man has scored two goals in qualification so far and as captain, he represents one of the most experienced players in the Cameroon setup.
Choupo-Moting's 60 caps for Cameroon are ever so slightly shadowed by the 75 made by Vincent Aboubakar, who is currently the most-capped player in the Indomitable Lions squad.
Devis Epassy will be looking to extend his impressive run between the sticks for Cameroon, having kept two clean sheets so far in qualification.
As for Ivory Coast, their main goal threat will be Ajax man Sebastien Haller, who has also netted twice in qualification so far.
Haller will be joined in attack by recent Burnley arrival Maxwell Cornet and Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe as the Elephants look to blow Cameroon away.
Expect Serge Aurier to feature in defence, with the former Tottenham Hotspur full-back the current Ivory Coast captain, while Eric Bailly will marshal the backline for the visitors.
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Epassy; Moukoudi, Ngadeu Ngadjui, Tolo; Ngamaleu, Zambo Anguissa, Choupo-Moting, Hongla, Fai; Toko Ekambi, Aboubakar
Ivory Coast possible starting lineup:
Gbohouo; Konan, Boli, Aurier, Bailly; Michael Seri, Kessie, Sangare; Pepe, Haller, Cornet
We say: Cameroon 1-2 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast will be confident of getting the job done against Cameroon and securing their spot in the third round of World Cup qualifying.
Their record against Cameroon suggests that they should navigate this potentially tricky task without much hindrance.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Cameroon win with a probability of 40.37%. A draw had a probability of 30.2% and a win for Ivory Coast had a probability of 29.47%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cameroon win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.54%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.22%) and 2-1 (7.57%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.38%), while for a Ivory Coast win it was 0-1 (11.83%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 14.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Cameroon in this match.
