Niger and Cameroon draw the curtain on their African Nations Championship group-stage campaigns on Tuesday when they face off at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium.
With a place in the 2023 CHAN quarter-final up for grabs, both teams have all to play for in this one, which should make for an absorbing affair.
Match preview
Cameroon got their CHAN campaign off to the perfect start thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory over the Leopards of Congo in Oran on Monday evening.
Despite being in the ascendancy for the majority of the contest, Alioum Saidou's men had to wait until the 63rd minute to break the deadlock through Jerome Ngom Mbekeli.
After drawing their first two outings of 2023, the Indomitable Lions have now come out on top in the subsequent two matches by a combined score of 3-0.
Lying in store next is the challenge of an opposing outfit who have suffered just one defeat in the previous four meetings between the teams across all competitions.
Currently sitting top of their group heading into the final matchday, Cameroon remain firmly in charge and only need to avoid defeat to secure safe passage into the knockout phase.
Niger Republic could only manage to play out a goalless share of the spoils in their opening Group E encounter against Congo on Friday.
Harouna Doula's men failed to register a shot on target throughout the contest and had their goalkeeper to thank for not coming away empty-handed.
Consequently, the Dama Gazelle are now on a run of six consecutive matches without a victory since beating Togo 3-1 in their final qualifier for the ongoing CHAN.
More worryingly, Niger have failed to find the back of the net in five of the aforementioned six games, which is an area that needs urgent attention.
Team News
Given Niger's attacking struggles of late, it would be no surprise to see Harouna Doula tweak his options up front as he seeks to get his side firing again.
This could see the likes of Mossi Moussa and Yacine Laba handed a return to the starting XI, having both had to make do with cameo appearances last time out.
Off the back of a limited role for the Cameroon national team at the 2022 World Cup, Jerome Ngom Mbekeli has shown his worth already when handed the chance, and he will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Twenty-one-year-old Saidou Ibrahim put in an impressive shift against Congo, which should see him retain his place in the starting lineup for this one.
Niger possible starting lineup:
Djibo; Adamou, Souley, Katkore, Garba; Moudou, Aboubacar, Iboun; Seyni, Moussa, Ibrahim
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Mbahbi; Ibrahim, Moukoko, Malone, Bawak; Avon, Mbah, Kaiba; Mbekeli, Dibami, Nguimzeu
We say: Niger 0-1 Cameroon
Given their current position in the group, Cameroon can afford to take their foot off the gas a bit here, but they will know that any sign of complacency could prove to be fatal. We are backing them to emerge victorious, albeit by only a narrow margin in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
