Will Richarlison step into the breach?
Cameroon and Brazil face each other in the final Group G match. Current tips and betting odds can be read here. The team from Central Africa recently delivered a goal spectacle with a 3-3 draw against Serbia.
However, the Cameroonian national team has only picked up one point on aggregate after an opening defeat to Switzerland, which is why reaching the World Cup last 16 would still be possible with a win against the record world champions alone.
Here you can find the betting odds.
However, there is little to suggest that this is the case: their opponents have not shown any weaknesses so far with victories against the Swiss and the Serbs and have already successfully mastered the preliminary round.
On top of that, the South Americans are now on a run of 17 unbeaten group games (14-3-0) – a World Cup record! All the more reason to make a prediction on the record World Cup champions in Cameroon against Brazil.
For the match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium between Cameroon and Brazil, this prediction includes a goal by Richarlison for the “Selecao”.
Cameroon – Statistics & current form
The “indomitable lions” lived up to their name in their last match against Serbia: Despite trailing by two goals at one stage, they still managed to draw in the end.
Their offensive performance was particularly improved. After a 1-0 draw with Switzerland to start the tournament, the attack struck three times. There is no lack of quality either, with players like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting or Karl Toko Ekambi.
At least the latter attacker from Olympique Lyon is a bit out of form at the moment. At club level, for example, he has four goals in 15 league games for Olympique Lyon in the current edition of Ligue 1. By comparison, the 30-year-old still recorded at least twelve goals in the previous two seasons with the “Gones” for the respective final tally.
Choupo-Moting confirms his good form at the World Cup
In contrast, however, Bayern Munich’s Choupo-Moting is in fine form. The ex-PSG player scored one of the three most recent goals and the 33-year-old is also having a successful season in the Bundesliga for the German record champions. His tally of six goals in ten league appearances is already two goals higher than his tally of 20 in the previous season.
Moreover, his record of two goals in as many games in the DFB Cup and three goals in four games in the Champions League is equally impressive. His three goals in the top flight have also made him the third player in the country, along with Samuel Eto’o and Vincent Aboubakar, to reach double figures in the competition.
With this in mind, Choupo-Moting can currently be considered the strongest weapon in the attack of coach Rigobert Song’s team and with this in mind, the betting odds on his next goal in the clash between Cameroon and Brazil are also worth considering.
The Africans will also have to be on the offensive, as only a three-goal win could see them through to the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
Predicted line-up of Cameroon:
Onana – Castelletto – Fai – N’Koulou – Tolo – Gouet – Zambo Anguissa – Hongla – Mbeumo – Choupo-Moting – Toko Ekambi
Last matches played by Cameroon:
World Cup Group G
28/11/2022 – Cameroon 3 – 3 Serbia
24/11/2022 – Switzerland 1 – 0 Cameroon
Friendlies
18/11/2022 – Cameroon 1 – 1 Panama
09/11/2022 – Cameroon 1 – 1 Jamaica
27/09/2022 – South Korea 1 – 0 Cameroon
Brazil – Statistics & current form
The “Selecao” are leading the odds on the winner of “Who will be the 2022 World Champions?”. Given Brazil’s performance so far in this finals, there is little to counter this assessment. The South Americans won 2-0 against Serbia in their opener and recorded a 1-0 win over Switzerland this week.
However, Neymar is once again a cause for concern. The team’s superstar suffered an injury in the first match against kickers from the Balkans and missed the second group match due to an ankle injury. Now there are indications that he will make a short appearance at most.
The Brazilians, as described, are already qualified and will therefore not take any risks with him. In addition, Neymar has also had a cold recently, which is why he did not watch the most recent match against the Swiss in the stadium, but in front of the television in the team hotel.
Brazil remain strong even without Neymar
While his absence is undoubtedly a weakening for Brazil from an objective point of view, the squad is still in excellent shape even without him.
An example of high-performing players in Coach Tite’s squad is Richarlison, who scored both of his team’s goals in the first match against Serbia and his second goal via overhead kick is already a hot candidate for the most beautiful goal of the World Cup in Qatar.
Will the Brazilians score at least three times?
In light of the recent weak defensive performances of the upcoming opponents and the still available concentrated offensive power of the South Americans, the odds on more than two goals by the “Selecao” in the match between Cameroon and Brazil also seem promising.
The Brazilians also have the advantage that they have always won against an African team at a World Cup (7-0-0) and have scored no less than 20 goals (20:2).
Predicted line-up of Brazil:
Allison – Silva – Alex Sandro – Marquinhos – Danilo – Casemiro – Paqueta – Fred – Richarlison – Vinicius Junior – Raphinha
Last matches played by Brazil:
World Cup Group G
28/11/2022 – Brazil 1 – 0 Switzerland
25/11/2022 – Brazil 2 – 0 Serbia
Friendlies
28/09/2022 – Tunisia 1 – 5 Brazil
24/09/2022 – Brazil 3 – 0 Ghana
06/06/2022 – Japan 0 – 1 Brazil
Cameroon – Brazil Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The clash has gone to the wire six times so far, with the record-breaking world champions missing out on victory in only one of those matches – four times the triumph came without conceding a goal (5-0-1). The most recent comparison took place in November 2018. In that test match, Brazil won 1-0.
Cameroon – Brazil Tip
For the clash between Cameroon and Brazil, the tip includes a goal by Richarlison. Due to the very probable absence of Neymar, the Tottenham striker is particularly important.
He already proved that he is in good form with his brace against Serbia in Brazil’s Group G opener. His injury, which kept him out of action from mid-October until the beginning of November, was no longer in evidence.
Richarlison’s six goals in the World Cup qualifying campaign were the best of any Brazilian (excluding penalties) and he had a shot conversion rate of 46 per cent, the best of any player with at least five shots on goal.
The 2022 Brazilian top scorer (7) and his attacking teammates will not be short of scoring opportunities either. Cameroon have yet to record a clean sheet at this World Cup and most recently had three goals conceded by Serbia.
Furthermore, the Africans cannot be too defensive, because only with a win do they still have a chance of making it through the group stage. From this point of view, too, Brazil can expect plenty of scoring opportunities, as an open game is on the cards.
