The Indian national team will face Cameroon in a 2012 Nehru Cup group stage match on Friday. But the focus might be already on the final 48 hours later against the same opponent at the same venue.
The African giants are playing the Nehru Cup without their Europe-based stars due to various club commitments around the continent. But Cameroon’s coach Emmanuel Bosso is expecting nothing less than a win against the hosts and defending champions.
“We have come to India to show to you all what football in Cameroon is all about,” Bosso told the-aiff.com. “We have mesmerised the world with our brand of football. We want India to have a feel of it too!”
India coach Wim Koevermans knows about the strengths of the Cameroon team, but the Dutchman is planning to test his bench in the unimportant group match.
“Cameroon are surely a very strong side. They are capable of playing good football and that’s already on display,” Koevermans told. “The match will be interesting. We play Cameroon twice and the final stays the more important one.”
“The last group league match gives us a chance to have a look more at our bench,” the Dutchman added.
But his Cameroonian counterpart is not underestimating the Indian team. “But India have some good players. The number 6 (Lenny Rodrigues) has impressed me a lot. He can play around in the midfield and stays a potent force,” said Bosso.
“Also, the Captain (Sunil Chhetri) and the goalkeeper (Subrata Pal) are key members. But we have our plans…,” he concluded.
It will be interesting to see a second string Indian team taking on Cameroon on Friday. India coach Wim Koevermans will be hoping to gather a few new insights on the Africans to work out a masterplan to tackle them in the final on Sunday.
The India v Cameroon match is scheduled to kick-off at 19.00 IST / 15.30 CET / 14.30 GMT. The match will be broadcasted LIVE on NEO Prime and additional updates will also available at www.facebook.com/cpd81
More details and exclusive updates on the the NEHRU CUP will be available at www.facebook.com/cpd81