Cameroon face an uphill task after losing their opening game against Mexico and with Samuel Eto’o missing, the Indomitable Lions can only hope intense heat in Manaus will favour them over their European opposition. Meanwhile, Vatreni have every reason to be proud of their performance against Brazil and they will fancy their chances of winning here.

Samuel Eto’o misses out with a knee injury

Great individual quality is once again proving to be of little help for African sides at the biggest stage and Cameroon are the perfect proof. The mere fact the squad did not want to travel to the World Cup until their win bonuses were sorted out speaks volumes about their motivation or the lack of it to play at the tournament finals, while their first match against Mexico only went to prove there is no real togetherness in the squad. And while there were some notable individual performances, the absence of team spirit seriously hurt the Indomitable Lions and they were extremely fortunate to avoid a heavy defeat with El Tri having had two goals wrongfully disallowed. And if Stephane M’Bia and Benoit Assou-Ekotto were pretty impressive, Barcelona midfielder Alex Song went missing for big periods of the game, which is enough to suggest his mind is not in the right place as he is probably thinking about his next destination. Add to that the fact that influential captain Samuel Eto’o misses the Croatia game through injury and you will understand why I am backing Cameroon to lose by a big margin.

Samuel Eto’o is out with a knee injury, with Lorient striker Vincent Aboubakar expected to start up front as a replacement for the Chelsea star.

Mario Mandzukic returns

After Igor Stimac had almost ruined the national team, the Croatia chiefs acted at the last minute and their decision to appoint Niko Kovac in his place ensured Vatreni qualify for the World Cup after all. With so many world-class players in the squad, individual quality was never missing, but this national team have always been famous for acting really well as a team. Team spirit was quickly rebuilt under Niko Kovac and Croatia in turn proved worthy opponents for World Cup hosts Brazil and they would have probably avoided defeat in their opening match if it hadn’t been for that non-existent penalty. Nevertheless, Vatreni will be buoyed by a very good performance against one of world’s strongest sides and they have plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the Cameroon clash. Even though difficult weather conditions in the Amazon could prove to be a problem, the return of Mario Mandzukic and Danijel Pranjic will act as a major boost, meaning the boss will be able to field his strongest side, with Luka Modric also available after recovering from a foot injury.

Mario Mandzukic returns from suspension, while Danijel Pranjic and Luka Modric have recovered from their respective ailments.

Verdict

Favourable weather conditions alone cannot help Cameroon win this game as the Indomitable Lions are not exactly capable of matching very good Croatia side, especially with Samuel Eto’o missing. Vatreni, on the other hand, go into the match in excellent spirits having at times outplayed mighty Brazil and they look a good bet to record a comfortable win.

Top pick: Home win   1.67 (2/3) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 1: Croatia/Croatia   2.55 (14/9) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Croatia with -1.5   2.67 (5/3) @ bet365