Preview: Mexico vs. Cameroon

Group A continues on Friday as Mexico take on Cameroon in a game from which both sides will be looking for all three points with a match against hosts Brazil still to come.

Both teams very nearly did not make it to the World Cup. Mexico only qualified through the playoffs against New Zealand, and they only had that chance due to a late USA win against Panama.

Cameroon required a loan at the last minute in order to pay their players, otherwise they would have had to have been replaced in Group A.

As it happens, they meet on Friday, and Cameroon in particular have shown improvement in their warm-up games. After a defeat to Paraguay, they managed a respectable 2-2 draw against Germany and a 1-0 win over Moldova.

Mexico have been disappointing since their 3-1 win over Ecuador at the end of May, with consecutive 1-0 defeats to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Portugal.

Manchester United's Javier Hernandez started just one of the three warm-up games so will probably only make the bench, while there is Premier League interest for the Africans too, with Samuel Eto'o still the star man for Indomitable Lions.

Recent form

Mexico: DWWLL

Cameroon: LWLDW

Possible starting lineups

Mexico: Corona; Aguilar, Marquez, Rodriguez, Moreno, Layun; Vazguez, Guardado, Herrera; Peralta, Dos Santos

Cameroon: Itandje; Djeugoue, N'Koulou, Matip, Bedimo; M'Bia, Song, Enoh; Moukandjo, Choupo-Moting, Eto'o

Sports Mole says: 1-1