JAKARTA - Group G is a deadly group considering that three teams other than Brazil are dark horse teams that can both create surprises.
Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon will strive to become strong Brazilian companions are expected to become the group's champions.
As a result, every point in this group will be contested fiercely by all teams. No one wants to start late, including Switzerland and Cameroon, who will face off at Al Janoub Stadium, Thursday afternoon at 17.00 WIB.
Switzerland entered the 2022 World Cup arena with the status of quarter-finalist Euro 2020, while Cameroon finished third in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Launching Antara, Switzerland is shrouded in high optimism for entering the arena with interesting resumes recently after throwing Spain and Portugal in the European Nations League competition.
Cameroon is no less optimistic after missing the relatively strong Africa Cup of Nations campaign with talented players such as Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko Ekambi, Bryan Mbeumo, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
Although deemed unlikely to reach the last 16, Cameroon, which plays the eighth World Cup for the country, has made it Africa's team most frequent in the World Cup finals, potentially repeating the quarter-finals of 1990 that made the world blow.
But since 1990, The Indomitable Lions have always been knocked out of the group stage with only one win from a total of 15 matches.
Obviously this is a challenge for their squad. But Cameroon has reason to be optimistic because their squad is filled with European dropouts who can throw them away from just the group stage.
Switzerland themselves hope to secure at least one point from Cameroon because calculatively they shouldn't have any trouble getting it. Their recent history shows relatively successful in the second event under the World Cup, namely the Euros where they only lost on penalties to Spain and even beat Italy in the World Cup qualifying group.
They will link their hopes to the duet of Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri which is expected to be the key to Switzerland to dictate Cameroon.
Predictions of the first eleven players
Switzerland (4-2-3-1): Yan Sommer; Ricardo Rodriguez, Manuel Akanji, Fabian Schar, Silvan Widmer; Granit Xhaka, Remove Freuler; Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Xherdan Shaqiri; Breel Embolo
Cameroon (4-1-4-1): Andre Onana; Enzo Ebosse, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Nkoulou, Collins Fai; Martin Hongla; Bryan Mbeumo, Olivier Ntcham, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Karl Toko Ekambi; Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Important statistics of both teams
This is the first meeting of the two teams.
Both teams have entered the World Cup finals 19 times. Switzerland first tasted the finals in 1934 in Italy, while Cameroon in 1982 in Spain.
The highest achievements of both teams were the quarter-finals. Switzerland did so in 1934, 1938, and 1958, while Cameroon in 1990.
Cameroon entered the Qatar 2022 arena with three defeats from their last five matches, while Switzerland have won three of their last five matches.
Cameroon's last win in the World Cup group stage match came against Saudi Arabia which they beat 1-0 on June 6, 2002 in Japan. They lost all group stage matches in 2010 and 2014.
Switzerland escaped the group stage in three of their last four World Cups in 2006, 2014 and 2018, while in 2010 they were absent.
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