Cameroon take on the visitors Gabon in the round 1 match of Africa Cup of Nations group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, December 24th at Stade Adrar (Agadir).
Cameroon are a historic giant of African football, traditionally associated with strong results and high expectations. However, in December 2024 they surprisingly lost a play-off for qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations against the Central African Republic. This was followed by an unconvincing qualifying campaign in which there were no truly elite opponents, yet they still lost the battle for first place in the group ahead of schedule to Cape Verde, who went on to make their World Cup debut. Cameroon were given another chance through the November play-offs, but they were eliminated by DR Congo, failing to score and conceding a decisive late goal. After that setback, Marc Brys left his position as head coach, and now a little-known local specialist, David Pagu, takes charge for the first time in this match. Recent results clearly show a lack of confidence and momentum. Even against comparable opponents, Cameroon have struggled to control matches and turn chances into points.
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Gabon failed to qualify for the World Cup even at their peak. The Panthers have never made their debut at a World Cup. The recently completed cycle looked like their best opportunity, as the team produced a very strong campaign and collected 25 points, more than Senegal and Morocco in their respective groups, and level with Ghana and Algeria, who qualified directly. However, Ivory Coast finished with 26 points, which proved decisive. There was still a chance through the play-offs, but after a 1–1 draw in regular time against Nigeria, Gabon collapsed in extra time and conceded three more goals. Now the task is to regroup and focus on the Africa Cup of Nations, where they have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals and even missed the previous edition. Overall, Gabon have shown that they can compete over long stretches. The key issue has been maintaining concentration in decisive matches.
The first four head-to-head matches were all won by the Indomitable Lions. After that, real competition emerged: over the past fifteen years the teams have played five times, with two wins each. The nominal hosts are considered favorites. However, the visitors have their own strengths, so the safer option is to back over 2.0 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.0 scored goals.
