The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will face the Black Panthers of Gabon at the Estádio Alto da Chela, in Lubango. This match – which is set to begin 16:00 GMT, on January 13 – will be the first game in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations’ Group D.
The second and final game in Group D of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola will then witness the Zambians coming up against the Tunisians.
LiveSoccerTV.com offers you a preview of these two games.
Cameroon vs Gabon - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
Cameroon analyses
Cameroon enter this encounter as hot favorites, ready to snatch a victory that could reveal much concerning the rest of their road in the tournament. Star players such as Samuel Eto’o, as well as the Song brothers, and Carlos Kameni are true signs of the strength of the lions.
The Cameroonians are very well renowned for their tight defense which seems to trouble any kind of team on the African continent. This characteristic was not missing during their run in the 2008 edition of the competition (held in Ghana), and moreover, it looks like the national team is not ready to lose such an expensive quality.
In addition to having a strong defense, the Indomitable Lions can also boast of a powerful front line, led by their top ace Eto’o.
The Inter Milan forward was highly instrumental in his team’s qualification for the Nations Cup, and having held the tournament’s Top Scorer award in 2008, Eto’o will want to score a huge amount of goals in Angola, as he looks to expanding his individual record for the Cameroonian national football team.
Gabon analyses
Gabon, are often categorized among the underdogs in this tournament. Their qualification in the finals was far from being impressive, but having reached such a long way, they certainly have no reason to give up.
They unluckily find theirselves in a very difficult situation now, as the first match-day in Group D sees them playing against top seeds Cameroon.
Based on the analyses which come out from both teams’ squads on paper, the Gabonese are likely to suffer an early disappointment; for this reason, the Black Panthers will be hoping to turn things around through a great display.
Speaking to the press, Hull City player and Gabon captain Daniel Cousin declared that his country could be the tournament’s surprise package, underlining the fact that the public did not know who they really were.
"Football fans do not seem to realize how good are the players we have, just because none of my team-mates plays with a major European club,” he said.
These words truly show how determined Gabon are to make the “impossible”; and effectively, looking at the shocking 3-0 score line in favor of Malawi against Algeria on January 11, one could conclude that anything could be possible in Lubango too.
Eventually, the most coaches involved in this game can do, is to remain hopeful throughout the 90 minutes of the fight.
Zambia vs Tunisia - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
As in all competitions, games that take place late often receive more or less influence from games which occur earlier on;
This might just be the case for both Zambia and Tunisia, who meet each other at 18:30 GMT on the 13th of January 2010, at the Estádio Alto da Chela in Lubango.
Zambia analyses
Zambia had some negative results during the 2008 Nations Cup which was held in Ghana, but in reality, their performance showed a lot of hidden potentials.
Now is the time for these shadowed abilities to appear, if the Chipolopolo want to enjoy this tournament.
Zambia were extremely unconvincing in their qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, however, they were lucky enough to secure the third and final qualifying place of their table in the Third Round to register their name in the finals.
Of course, being currently inserted in a group with Cameroon, Gabon, and Tunisia, the Chipolopolo are aware that they have a lot of work to do, should they survive.
Regrettably, the Zambians weren’t placed against Gabon on match-day 1 of the competition’s finals; conversely, they were placed against Tunisia, and this is not an easy exercise to get well-integrated in the contest.
Nonetheless, they could make a shocker, taking into account the fact that the Zambians astoundingly edged 4-2 past 2010 World Cup participants South Korea in a preparation match ahead of the competition in Angola, recently.
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Tunisia analyses
On the other hand, Tunisia also played a friendly before entering their first game of the Nations Cup; however, their match’s final result wasn’t as good as the score line of the Zambians, as the Eagles of Carthage went down 2-1 against Gambia.
The Tunisians are great when it comes to inflicting pressure on an opponent, but placing the ball at the back of the net seems to be a real challenge for them.
The Eagles of Carthage reached the quarter-finals stage of the Africa Cup of Nations twice in a row in 2006 and 2008, but the desire of going further could send them farer this time around, in Angola.
Well, presence in the knockout phase is only possible after a satisfying run in the group stage, and this is exactly what the Tunisians will be looking for.
Surely, their quest will begin immediately on match-day 1, when they fight Zambia in a late kick-off.
