Germany moved ever closer to securing a spot in the final four with a gritty 1-1 draw with Chile at Kazan Arena. Lars Stindl scored a crucial equalizer in the 41st minute to give the European powerhouse a valuable point. They remained tied with Chile for first place in Group B with four points to their name.
The Germans need just a draw on Sunday for them to advance to the knockout stages. The reigning world champions will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have played some excellent football of late. With their stalemate against Chile, the Germans are now unbeaten in 12 matches since their Euro 2016 semifinal exit. Grabbing the victory against Cameroon, however, is vital for manager Joachim Low this coming weekend as this will spare Germany another grueling leg of travel within Russia.
For Germany to grab the top spot in Group B, it’s crucial that they dominate possession once again against Cameroon. The Germans had 54 percent of the possession in their game against Chile. That enabled Germany to unleash 10 shots, three of which were on target. Controlling the ball is one thing but doing something with that possession is definitely another matter. The onus then is on Julian Draxler to step up his play against Cameroon. The PSG winger was a non-factor in the draw against Chile. Draxler has scored five goals in 32 appearances for the national team, including a penalty in the group opener against Australia.
The end is definitely near for Cameroon with regards to their 2017 Confederations Cup campaign. With their 1-1 draw against Australia on Thursday, the Africans are left needing a huge victory against Germany in their final group match. Pulling off that feat will be a big ask for Cameroon, however, as they have yet to win against the reigning world champs in their head-to-head matchup. There have been three previous duels between the two sides with Cameroon managing just a draw and two losses.
Cameroon will have no other option but to attack Germany. They need to beat the Europeans by three clear goals for them to advance to the knockout round. It’s paramount then for the Africans that they make their goal-scoring opportunities count this coming Sunday. They bossed Australia around with 19 shots in their last group match but only three of those attempts were on target. That simply won’t do against a German side that’s brimming with confidence right now. They need to attack right from the get-go against Low’s squad, who have seen the deadlock broken within the opening 20 minutes in each of their last five consecutive matches.
One guy who needs to contribute for Cameroon is Vincent Aboubakar. The Porto striker was guilty of failing to capitalize on more than one opportunity to score in the match against Australia. He has scored 17 goals in 57 appearances for the national team.
Writer’s Prediction
Germany (-295) stamp their class in a convincing 2-0 win.
