Both Cameroon and Croatia head into their second World Cup match having lost their openers to Mexico and Brazil respectively. Hence, this 90+ minutes will represent a do-or-die moment for both Les Lions Indomptables and the Vatreni as they currently sit third and last in Group A, and they will also be thinking about the results from the Brazil-Mexico meeting from Tuesday.
Niko Kovac's men, who were left feeling bitter after their loss to Brazil, will have more pressure on them as due to their worse goal differential they sit at the bottom of their quartet. However, a win against Cameroon would obviously change all that and could put them into contention for squeezing through to the round of 16.
Nonetheless, they will definitely be feeling more confident this time around as two of their key personnel will be available to feature. Key playmaker Luka Modric, who suffered a foot injury during their earlier game, has reportedly recovered, much to the relief of the team and its supporters. And striker Mario Mandzukic, who missed out on the Brazil game due to suspension, will also definitely be re-called into the starting XI as Kovac will be hoping that he can replicate the same good form that saw him finish last season as Bayern Munich's top scorer.
Cameroon, however, are heading into the game with one hand tied behind their back. Captain Samuel Eto'o, who is the team's all-time top scorer will unfortunately not be able to participate due to a knee injury. As a result, German coach Volker Finke will have some tricky decisions to make as he attempts to modify his formation. And, quite concerning for their supporters was their overall failure to impress in their opening game with Mexico, a tie that they could have certainly won or at least drawn.
Interestingly, Croatia have never faced an African side in a World Cup--as their meeting with Mali which ended in a 2-1 victory was a friendly--so this will represent an interesting test for them. However, they will take note of the fact that their opponents have a poor record against European sides; notably, in their last 13 games, they have won just one (Romania, 1990, 2-1), lost seven, and drawn five.
Still, the Croatians have not fared well themselves as of late in World Cup matches, having lost their last three and drawn two. In fact, their last win was against Italy, a 2-1 result back in 2002, but unlike their opponents, they actually put on a good show against Brazil, and fans and neutrals alike will feel that Kovac's squad were undone by some questionable decisions that seemed to always favor the hosts.
In any case, each side will obviously have to put the disappointing Game 1 results behind them in order to focus on the upcoming task at hand, and most likely, after the final whistle is blown--or possibly even well before--one side will be still fighting for survival, while the other will be packing up and heading home.
Where to watch this World Cup match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Cameroon vs Croatia live on Wednesday, June 18, 2014:
In the US at 15.00 EST on:
- On TV: ESPN Deportes, ESPN, Univision Deportes USA, Univision USA, AFN Sports
- Online & Apps: Univision Deportes En Vivo, WATCH ESPN, ESPN3 Online-App, ESPN Deportes+
- Audio / Radio: Futbol de Primera Radio, SiriusXM FC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
In Canada at 15.00 ET on:
- On TV: Mediaset Italia, TVA Sports, CBC, Univision Canada
- Online & Apps: CBC Sports Live Streaming, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct
- Audio / Radio: TEAM 1410 Vancouver, TSN 1260 Edmonton, TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1050 Toronto
In the UK at 20.00 BST on:
- On TV: UTV, STV Scotland, ITV 1 UK
- Online & Apps: The ITV Player
- Audio / Radio: TalkSport Radio, BBC Radio 5 Live
In Australia at 05:00 (Sunday on):
- On TV: SBS One Australia
- Online & Apps:SBS One Australia Online & App
- Audio / Radio: SBS Radio 3, SBS Radio 4
In Cameroon at 23.00 WAT on: SuperSport 3 Africa, SuperSport Select, Cameroon Radio Television, SLGO, Canal+ Ouest, Canal+ Centre
In Croatia at 00.00 CEST on: ARD Live Stream, ARD Das Erste, HRT 2
For more live scores and live listings of this World Cup match, visit the Cameroon vs Croatia match page.
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