Mexico v Cameroon Tip: Scoreline Prediction

Two of the most fortunate teams to even be here clash on Friday afternoon in Group A. Mexico relied upon two injury-time goals from the USA to claim 4th spot in the CONCACAF qualifying section ahead of Panama. Cameroon were awarded a 3-0 victory over Togo,  who had fielded a suspended player, having already lost 2-0 on the pitch. This ruling put Cameroon to the top of their group.

Having both ridden their luck to get here, it’s hard to imagine either side advancing to the knockout phases. The outcome of this match is crucial if either is to have any chance and I think Mexico can shade it. In Oribe Peralta they have the player most likely on either side to become a match-winner.

But team spirit may also be a crucial factor. Cameroon are constantly on the cusp of disarray, the players having initially refused to travel to Brazil due to a pay dispute. That was resolved at the 11th hour but trouble never seems far away. After the first leg of their play-off against Tunisia, star striker Samuel Eto’o claimed that his teammates had concocted a ‘plot’ in which they refused to pass him the ball.

Mexico were rather more convincing in their play-off as they defeated New Zealand 9-3 over two legs. That showed they have goals in them, a point they reiterated by beating Ecuador 3-1 and Israel 3-0 at the end of May. At the time, that took their run to seven games unbeaten under new coach Miguel Herrera.

The gloss was removed by recent warm-up 1-0 defeats to Portugal and Bosnia but there is no real shame in losing narrowly to decent teams. Against an unharmonious Cameroon outfit, Mexico look good value to win 2-1 at best odds of 11/1 with Ladbrokes.