It will be the end of the road for either Cameroon or Serbia at FIFA World Cup 2022 when the two teams meet in a Group G fixture at the Al Janoub Stadium on Monday.
The two teams faced defeats in their first matches of the tournament which has made their match against each other a fight for survival.
Cameroon would feel hard done by when Switzerland edged past them by a solitary goal thanks to the efforts of Breel Embolo. Embolo was born in the African nation but got to represent Switzerland as his father was a Swiss national. In a mark of respect to the country of birth, the 25-year-old refused to celebrate the goal, lifting his hands in the air and frowning, although he had the full backing of the Swiss fans.
A few hours after Cameroon tasted defeat in their tournament opener, Serbia felt the full force of Brazil's dominance. The Samba Boys outclassed Serbia 2-0 with breathtaking flair. Brazilian forward Richarlison netted twice in the second half, including a spectacular bicycle kick goal, which could be a contender for the goal of the tournament. Serbia's conservative approach against the five-time champions did not reap dividends as Brazil kept a clean sheet.
The two results have left Cameroon and Serbia in third and four place respectively in the group. Both teams are yet to open their accounts but Cameroon are better placed than Serbia because of its better goal difference.
The two teams have had a poor run in the FIFA World Cup finals. Cameroon are on a seven-match losing streak in FIFA World Cups. They finished at the bottom of their groups in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament. The Indomitable Lions then missed the bus for Russia. Serbia's story is largely the same. They failed to make it out of the group stage in their previous two World Cup campaigns.
With an opportunity to defy history, the two teams are expected to come out all gun-blazzing in this match.
Form Guide (last five matches)
Cameroon: L-D-D-L-L
Serbia: L-W-W-W-D
Head-to-head
Cameroon and Serbia have only played against each other once. It was an international friendly played back in 2010. In a goal-fest, Serbia edged past Cameroon 4-3.
Team News
Cameroon team news
In this do-or-die fixture, Cameroon boss Rigobert Song will be happy with his team's fitness bulletin. There are no injury concerns in the camp and Song can pick the best players in his starting XI.
Serbia team news
Forward Fillip Kostic did not feature in the match against Brazil and remains doubtful for the match against Cameroon too. Center-forward Dusan Vlahovic was used as a substitute in the team's first match and could get a place in the starting XI.
Possible starting XIs
Cameroon possible starting XI
Formation (4-3-3)
Onana, Tolo, Nkoulou, Castelletto, Fai, Hongla, Gouet, Anguissa, Toko-Ekambi, Choupo-Moting, Mbeumo
Serbia possible starting XI
Formation (3-4-1-2)
Milinkovic-Savic, Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Lukic, Milinkovic-Savic, Mladenovic, Tadic, Vlahovic, Mitrovic
Betting odds (bet365)
Cameroon win: 17/4
Draw: 11/4
Serbia win: 7/10
Prediction
Despite the loss, Serbia have been in good goal-scoring form in the recent past. Serbia's goal-scoring ways should aid the beat Cameroon 3-1.
Where to watch and kick-off timing:
The match will kick off at 3:30 pm IST on Monday, November 28, and will be telecast live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on the JioCinema app.
