Cameroon will play Gambia in a make-or-break encounter in the last round of Group C fixtures of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 in Bouake.
This will be a repeat of the quarter final of the 2021 edition which Cameroon won 2-0 in front of their home fans in Douala.
A lot has changed from the last tournament to the ongoing one. Both Cameroon and Gambia have had a rough start and are still chasing their first win in Côte d’Ivoire.
Tom Saintfiet is still optimistic that they can achieve their target in Côte d’Ivoire by qualifying despite the poor start.
Rigobert Song has faith in his current team to deliver in their all-important game.
Tom Saintfiet – Gambia coach
“It will be a strong match against Cameroon. I don’t remember Gambia beating Cameroon before. If we win 1-0 against Cameroon, we will have a chance to qualify for the next round. The most important thing for us is the three points.
We always have a chance to stay in Côte d’Ivoire and qualify for the round of 16. This remains our ambition. Cameroon is very motivated and wants to win the match as well. The match will be difficult for us.
We preferred to stay in the city of Yamoussoukro in order to prepare for this match, because we found comfort in the hotel in which we were staying, and on the day of the match we will travel to Bouaké.
Adams Ebrima – Gambia midfielder
“The match against Cameroon will be difficult. We must win the match to continue the journey. The expulsion I received in the first match was very difficult for me, but this is football, now I am back playing, and we must give the best in the match”.
Rigobert Song – Cameroon coach
“This is an important game and we are ready for it, we absolutely need our three points to help us progress to the knockout stage. We know it won’t be easy to do, our other objective is to have a good game. For Cameroon, we are trying to restructure our team, there are some people who were part of the previous team and are still here and what we can do is to prepare and give the best of ourselves. We are always learning, we are always at the learning phase and whatever the situation.
We do commit errors, the fact that you are not winning means there is something lacking which you have to learn so my players have understood what was lacking, what it is now, we need to have the three points and hopefully, Cameroonians will have the joy they have been waiting for”.
