Soccer News of Thursday, 29 May 2014

Source: tipstercompetition.eu

Cameroon face Paraguay in international friendly

Following a 2-0 win over Macedonia, Cameroon will be looking to record yet another win in their preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup when they take on Paraguay tonight, who are not as strong anymore as they used to be.

On Monday night Cameroon recovered from a 5-1 loss to Portugal as they defeated Macedonia 2-0 in an international friendly at Kufstein-Arena in Austria.

The Lions do not want to stop now and they will be aiming to extend their winning run when they square off against Paraguay on Thursday evening.

Volker Finke’s men need to take the upcoming friendly matches very seriously as they are on the verge of kicking off their World Cup campaign. The Cameroonians have been handed a tough draw at the major tournament as they will take on the likes of hosts Brazil, Mexico and Croatia, meaning that they will have to be at the top of their game if they are to reach last 16 at the World Cup.

The team’s key player Samuel Eto’o missed the Macedonia game with injury and it seems that he is unlikely to be risked against Paraguay according to reports.

Fenerbahce attacker Pierre Webo will lead the line for the African side.

Aurelien Chedjou, Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, Charles Itandje, Samuel Eto’o, Jean II Makoun, Vincent Aboubakar and Stephane M’Bia are all major doubts and they will be assessed today.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Ndy Assembe – Nyom, N’Koulou, Nounkeu, Assou-Ekotto – Enoh, Song, N’Guemo – Choupo-Moting, Webo, Olinga.

Paraguay failed to impress in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, with the team finishing the campaign at rock bottom.

La Albirroja’s fans were disappointed with the team’s performances as nobody expected that the team would struggle in the qualifiers after reaching the quarter-finals at the 2010 World Cup.

Anyhow, Victor Genes’ men should not look back as they need to focus on the upcoming 2015 Copa America. Paraguay have played no more than one international friendly in 2014, with the team losing to Costa Rica 2-1 and you should know that they are on a four-game winless run in all competitions.

Roque Santa Cruz is undisputedly the symbol of the Paraguayan national team, but coach Victor Genes also counts on a number of unproven players for the upcoming matches.

Left-back Miguel Samudio is fit to face Cameroon, meaning that Victor Genes has a full squad to choose from against Cameroon.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): V. Centurion – Coronel, Gomez, Ortiz, Alonso – J. Rojas, V. Caceres, Oviedo, E. Benitez – Santa Cruz, D. Gonzalez