Cameroon Has the Talent to Go Deep in World Cup 2010

Cameroon qualified for the 2010 World Cup with ease, making it out of the group stages will prove a lot tougher.

How they got here
Cameroon made light work of the World Cup qualifiers. In the opening group phase the Indomitable Lions, possibly the best nickname in all of sports, won five out of six with one draw to top their group and progress to the final qualifying stage.

A defeat at Togo in their opening game of the final phase followed by a home draw with Morocco could have proved disastrous but Cameroon lived up to its nickname by bouncing back in style. The Indomitable Lions rattled off four straight victories, including a 3-0 home win over Togo and a 2-0 win at Morocco to top the group and book a place in South Africa.

Who to watch
Cameroon’s World Cup hopes will live and die on based on how Inter’s Samuel Eto’o performs. While the striker is far from the only star on this Cameroon team, no player in the squad can match his ability to find opportunities to score. Having dominated in Spain with Barcelona, Eto’o played a vital role in Inter’s success in Italy and Europe this season. If Eto’o is on target then Cameroon will offer plenty of value in World Cup betting.

Few teams can match Cameroon’s depth in midfield. Jean Makoun helped Lyon to the semi-finals of the Champions League this season and he is joined by Arsenal’s Alex Song and Celtic’s Landry N’Guemo. One of the less-heralded players in the Cameroon line-up could prove vital to the Indomitable Lions in South Africa. Goalkeeper Idriss Kameni is only 26 years old but has been playing internationally since he was 17. The Espanyol goalie has experience far beyond his years and will bring leadership at the back.

How they will perform
After being on an upward trajectory from the late 1990s through the turn of the century, Cameroon’s fortunes hit a bump when the Indomitable Lions failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. The upgrades made to the squad over the past four years are starting to bear fruit now and they enter this competition in good shape to make a deep run in the competition. The schedule breaks down nicely with group outsiders Japan up first while they won’t face favorites the Netherlands until the last group game. I like Cameroon to make the most of the schedule and squeeze out Denmark for second, but it will be close.

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