Switzerland and Cameroon meet for the first time ever on Thursday, as the two nations kick off what could be a very competitive World Cup 2022 Group G.
The Swiss come into the World Cup off the back of a quarter-final run at Euro 2020, while Cameroon finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Match preview
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After four consecutive international tournaments, it will take some getting used to seeing Switzerland without Vladmir Petkovic on the touchline, as former Schaffhausen boss Murat Yakin takes the national side to a World Cup for the first time.
Since taking over in August 2021, the Basler has overseen a remarkably successful World Cup qualifying campaign, remaining unbeaten with 18 points from a possible 24 to top the group ahead of Italy.
A-Team also retained their spot in League A of the Nations League, bouncing back from three consecutive defeats to beat Portugal, Spain and Czech Republic in another impressive run of wins.
Despite a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in their final warm-up game, the Swiss will be confident ahead of a fourth consecutive World Cup, with the likes of Breel Embolo and captain Granit Xhaka heading to Qatar in great form.
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Cameroon, on the other hand, have struggled for form since their Africa Cup of Nations run, winning just one of their last five, with that victory coming against 141st-ranked Burundi.
Rigobert Song's men qualified for Qatar in dramatic fashion, as Karl Toko Ekambi broke Algerian hearts to qualify for their eighth World Cup back in March.
The Indomitable Lions are actually the fourth-lowest ranked side in the entire tournament, finding themselves 28 places behind their Swiss opponents, and 22 adrift of anyone else in Group G.
Nonetheless, with attacking talent such as Toko Ekambi and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has 11 goals and three assists in his last 10 games, and having seen Saudi Arabia's shock victory over Argentina on Tuesday, the five-time African champions will head into this crucial World Cup opener with real belief.
Team News
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Borussia Monchengladbach shot-stopper Yann Sommer suffered an ankle injury back in October, but having played against Ghana last week, he should be available from the off, even if not fully fit.
Premier League stars Manuel Akanji, Fabian Schar, Remo Freuler and Denis Zakaria should all feature, as Xherdan Shaqiri will add to his 109 caps alongside the impressive Embolo up front.
Cameroon look to have a fully fit squad to choose from, as Brentford forward Bryan Mbuemo joins the attacking ranks ahead of this tournament.
Imperious Napoli midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be a key force in the middle of the park, while Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana provides real quality between the sticks.
Switzerland possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Elvedi, Widmer; Xhaka, Freuler; Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas; Embolo
Cameroon possible starting lineup:
Onana; Tolo, Castelletto, Nkoulou, Fai; Toko Ekambi, Hongla, Anguissa, Mbeumo; Aboubakar, Choupo-Moting
We say: Switzerland 2-1 Cameroon
Despite the gulf in the FIFA rankings between these two sides, we are expecting a very competitive game here, with Cameroon capable of making their attacking presence felt.
The Swiss are a high-quality outfit, however, and should have just enough to record a vital victory to begin their World Cup campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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