Cameroon vs Egypt: Hosts take on Africa's most decorated side

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Cameroon, Egypt, 2021 AFCON

A clash of heavyweights is in store as hosts Cameroon face Egypt, who are the most successful team in AFCON history, in the semi-finals on Thursday, February 3rd.

Preview: Cameroon vs Egypt

12. That's the number of AFCON titles won by both Cameroon and Egypt, making the Indomitable Lions and the Pharaohs arguably the most successful team in competition history. Cameroon, who are serving as hosts, last won it in 2017, while Egypt's last victory was in 2010, but nonetheless, this will be a titanic tussle between two of Africa's most successful sides.

The two teams last met in the 2017 AFCON final, with Cameroon winning 2-1. It's safe to say that will still be fresh on the minds of the Egyptian players, who are looking to end a 12-year long wait to win what would be their eighth title. The Indomitable Lions come into this match in brilliant form, to say the least. The 2021 AFCON hosts are unbeaten in their last nine games across all comps, and that form has extended into this winter's competition. Save for a surprise one-all draw against minnows Cape Verde, Cameroon have been largely dominant, easing to a 2-0 win over Gambia to book their spot at this juncture.

Key to their success has been the brilliant form of attacking duo Karl Toko Ekambi and Vincent Aboubakar. The duo have either scored or assisted all of Cameroon's 11 goals at this tournament, and both players, who have netted five and six goals respectively, will be looking to add to their respective tallies in this game. In addition, one can't ignore Cameroon's defense, which has been quite solid and has conceded just four times so far. That being said, their 2-0 win over Gambia was the first time the Indomitable Lions managed to keep a clean sheet, and certainly the team's supporters will hope that this marks a sign of improved performances at the back - especially considering the natural threat Egypt will pose.

Egypt, by contrast, haven't been at their very best, and there are some that feel that the Pharaohs have been riding their luck, to some extent. They were quite strong in qualifiers, finishing top of their group in qualifiers, but have struggled to reach the same heights so far. An opening day loss to Nigeria was followed by back to back wins, but they were gritty 1-0 victories rather than blowouts against Guinea-Bissau and Sudan.

Against the Ivory Coast, they were unable to break down the Elephants in regular - or extra time - and needed to settle proceedings on spot kicks, with Mohamed Salah stepping up to be the hero of the night following Eric Bailly's miss from 12 yards out. But in the quarter-finals, they really turned things up a notch, defeating fellow tournament heavyweights Morocco 2-1 which saw them come from a goal behind to ultimately win the contest. While goal-scoring has been few and far between - so far, they've netted just four times - Egypt nonetheless have been quite strong defensively, and will hope everything falls into place as they prepare to take on free-scoring Cameroon on Thursday.

It's a match that would have made a spectacular final, but unfortunately, one of these titans of African football will be making an early exit. Will it be Cameroon, the 2021 AFCON hosts or Egypt, Africa's most decorated side? We may know the answer after 90 minutes of action, or perhaps more, but one thing is certain: regrettably, either the Indomitable Lions or the Pharaohs will be not gracing the showpiece final on Sunday.

Team news: Cameroon vs Egypt

Cameroon: Cameroon aren't facing any major injuries ahead of the match, meaning that they'll have largely a full-strength squad available.

Egypt: Egypt face a worrying injury crisis ahead of this contest. First and second choice goalkeepers Mohamed El-Shenawy and Gabaski are both out injured, meaning that third-choice shot-stopper Mohamed Sobhy will face the tough task of keeping Cameroon at bay. Meanwhile, Ahmed Hegazy, Akram Tawfik, and Hamdi Fathi are also ruled out through injury.

Match facts: Cameroon vs Egypt

Egypt have scored just four goals so far - while Cameroon have netted 11
However, the Pharaohs have conceded just twice, while the Indomitable Lions have conceded four
This will be the first meeting at the AFCON between Cameroon and Egypt since the 2017 final
Cameroon have won five AFCON titles, while Egypt have won seven