AFCON 2021: Indomitable Lions Looking to Avoid Upset Against Unpredictable Gambia

AFCON 2021: Indomitable Lions Looking to Avoid Upset Against Unpredictable Gambia

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:55 PM
In this article:
CAF Africa Cup of Nations logo
CAF AFCON
Africa
  • Cameroon, who are heavy favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations, take on Gambia, who have pulled a number of upsets so far
  • Gambia boss Tom Saintfiet admits the debutants only have a 20% chance of winning the tournament, with a number of heavyweights still in it
  • The two nations clash on Saturday, January 29, with the other quarter-final match involving Burkina Faso and Tunisia

The quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations are upon us and there are bound to be some interesting results along the tedious road to the final.

On Saturday, January 29, host nation Cameroon will look to avoid any upsets when they take on Gambia, who have defied the odds to reach the quarter-finals.

Cameroon
Cameroon are currently unbeaten in the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo by Ulrik Pedersen.
Source: Getty Images

At this stage of the competition, it is safe to regard Cameroon as one of the favourites to win the trophy, as some giants including Ivory Coast, Algeria and Nigeria have already been sent home.

The other fixture on Saturday will see Tunisia take on Burkina Faso at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.

Sportsbrief.com takes a look at what to expect from the Saturday games as the Africa Cup of Nations enters its crucial stages.

Cameroon vs Gambia

Any neutral fan will say Cameroon are favourites to win this one but in football, you never really know until the final whistle.

Gambia are no pushover by any means as they are having the tournament of their dreams, having finished joint top of Group F following wins over Mauritania and Tunisia coupled with a draw against Mali.

In the last 16, against the odds, Gambia somehow managed to get past Guinea, and here they are among the last eight in the competition.

Now, the AFCON debutants are aiming to become only the second of their kind to reach the semi finals since South Africa back in 1996.

At this point, however, coach Tom Saintfiet’s Gambia really has nothing to lose as they just might have already proven themselves in the competition.

In the build-up to the game, Saintfiet admitted his nation were underdogs and Cameroon stood a solid chance of winning the competition.

“Cameroon, one of the greatest nations in Africa and even world football, is the big favourite. I give my team a 20 per cent chance,” he said as quoted by Caf Online.

Burkina Faso vs Tunisia

This is another interesting one as Tunisia, despite being given an outside chance of winning the AFCON, are looking really good.

The 2004 winners of the tournament pulled a rabbit out of the hat when they knocked out Nigeria in the last 16, and the world is suddenly interested in what they can do against Burkina Faso.

On the other hand, Burkina Faso edged Gabon on penalties to advance to the last 16.

They will be looking to replicate their form in 2017 that saw them finish third in that edition of the AFCON.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.