Cameroon aims for Mali scalp

Cameroon captain Stephane Mbia will not be available for selection when his Indomitable Lions plays against Mali in its 2015 Africa Cup of Nations opener at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo today.

Mbia, who had actually recovered from the thigh injury which he sustained in the Spanish Primera Division earlier this year, is currently serving an international suspension.

Considering the youthful nature of the squad, the injury is not ideal, as senior campaigners Alex Song and Samuel Eto’o both hung up their international boots prior to this year’s Equatorial Guinea showpiece.

Cameroon are currently in the middle of a delicate transition in their football and the fixture against Mali will be an important litmus test ahead of what is one of the more open AFCON tournaments in recent years.

The one thing that Volker Finke’s Cameroon do not lack, ahead of this match, is confidence. The Central Africans produced a flawless qualifying run in 2014.

It was a campaign that signalled the emergence of a new generation in Cameroonian footballers and one which has sparked what many feel is a resurgence of what was once a formidable football nation.

While Cameroon no longer depend on old greats to carry the team at a tournament of this magnitudue, Mali are heading in the opposition direction during this campaign.

Roma midfielder and Eagles veteran Seydou Keita will be central to the national’s team’s campaign, especially in the absence of Cheick Diabate, who has been sidelined by a knee injury he sustained earlier this month. Diabate has undergone knee surgery.

Injuries aside, Mali’s preparations for this year’s tournament have been complicated by the 3-0 drubbing the team had to endure during the pre-tournament friendly against South Africa in Gabon.

The national team’s preparations for the tournament opener was further hampered by a delay in the arrival of its training equipment, which only appeared on Saturday. It is nevertheless a fixture to be savoured by the African football fraternity and one that will likely have a significant impact on the outcome in Group D.