Prediction: Cameroon vs Denmark

June 19th 2010

With both Cameroon and Denmark losing their opening games, this will be a good opportunity for both sides to return into contention for the second place in the group. The Danes certainly enter the match in better spirits than their opponents as their defeat to Netherlands cannot be seen as a surprise, unlike Cameroon’s slip-up against Japan.

Cameroon arrived to the World Cup in good mood despite losing a couple of warm-up games but the first match showed their confidence was completely unfounded. Key players in the team, Samuel Eto’o, Jean II Makoun and Pierre Webo were unable to create anything on the day and we saw no evidence of Cameroon’s build-up play against Japan. Paul Le Guen can also be seen as one of the culprits after opting for very odd tactics, with Eto’o completely ineffectual on the wing, whereas keeper Kameni and Alex Song didn’t even make the team. The defeat against Japan served as a big blow for the players’ confidence and the Indomitable Lions now have their work cut out for them against very organized Denmark side. The boss is set to make some changes but the calamitous Souleymanou Hamidou is set to continue in goal and that looks like something Denmark can take advantage of.

Despite losing to Netherlands in their opening game, The Danes did not disappoint as they managed to keep the opposition strikers at bay throughout the first half and were very unlucky to concede an own goal right after the break. Morten Olsen opted for a defensive approach against Oranje and his defence looked very good against some of world’s best attackers, so I cannot really see Cameroon creating them any real problems. The Danes will now revert to more adventurous style as they need a win here in order to go through, and with Bendtner slowly returning into form, they will have enough firepower to hurt the Lions.

Conclusion

Unlike Cameroon, who are not the perfect proof that football is a team game, Denmark are a very organized side where every player knows his job, and on top of that, they also have enough quality to win this game. The Danes are certainly not hot favourites here, but I expect them to emerge victorious come end of the game.

Verdict: Away win Denmark(2)

Best Odds:  6/4

Bookmaker:  Ladbrokes