Former continental champions Cameroon and South African will meet for an international friendly on Saturday in Libreville, Gabon, as part of their preparations for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Both Bafana Bafana and the Indomitable Lions are camping in Gabon as they prepare for the AFCON finals in Equatorial Guinea, to be played from January 17 to February 8.
Shakes Mashaba’s team come into the encounter having beaten Zambia 1-0 in their first warm-up match this past Sunday, with Thuso Phala scoring the decisive goal.
Mashaba has admitted that his side still has plenty of work to do, especially in regards to their finishing and fitness, and Cameroon should provide an even tougher test than Zambia.
The West Africans were most impressive in the qualifying campaign, finishing top of a tough group ahead of Ivory Coast and DR Congo, and they look a rejuvenated side under coach Volker Finke and captain Stephane Mbia.
Other players in Cameroon’s ranks to keep an eye out for are Marseille defender Nicolas N’Koulou, former Ajax Cape Town midfielder Eyong Enoh and exciting young strikers Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N’Jie.
South Africa have something of special rivalry with Cameroon, as the Indomitable Lions were Bafana Bafana’s very first opponents when the national team returned from isolation in 1992.
A three-match series in July of that year saw Bafana win the first game 1-0, Cameroon responded with a 2-1 victory in the next encounter, while the final showdown ended in a 2-2 draw.
The teams have sadly not been regular combatants since, meeting only a further three times, with the most recent being a 3-2 win for Bafana in November 2008 for the Nelson Mandela Challenge.
In all, South Africa have recorded three wins, two draws and suffered just one loss from their six matches against Cameroon.
This friendly in Gabon will be the first time the teams have met outside of South Africa’s borders.
