In the opening fixture, Burundi were not able to start with all three points, as they had to settle for a draw at Namibia.
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Cameroon will kick-start their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on Thursday when they travel to face Burundi. The match at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium will be the second game for the hosts while Cameroon will be playing its first match in the qualifiers. In the opening fixture, Burundi were not able to start with all three points, as they had to settle for a draw at Namibia. As far as the FIFA rankings are concerned, Cameroon are way ahead at 37, compared to Burundi’s 139.
On Thursday, Cameroon have to be the heavy favourites against the lower-ranked African side. The visitors will also take a lot of pride from their last match, which was a World Cup qualifying fixture against Algeria. In the two-legged tie, Cameroon lost the home leg 1-0 but won the away fixture 2-1 to book their Qatar World Cup ticket based on away goals. They will take plenty of confidence from that fixture when kickstarting their 2023 AFCON qualifiers on Thursday.
On the other hand, Burundi will be disappointed in not getting all three points against Namibia in their last match. Peter Shalulile’s 10th-minute goal gave Namibia the early opener. Burundi then pushed hard for the equaliser, however, they were not able to alter the scoreboard right till the end of the match. Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana equalised in the dying minutes to allow both sides to share the spoils.
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Burundi have a major concern to deal with for Thursday’s clash after their goalscorer in the last fixture – Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana – was sent off in the same game. Immediately after scoring the late equaliser, he was given the red card for getting two bookings. Hence the home side have to play without him for Thursday’s match. As a result, Blaise Bigirimana could make it into the squad for the upcoming clash. On the other hand, Cameroon possess a strong Starting XI, which could be led by Vincent Aboubakar and Toko Ekambi.
Burundi possible line-up: Nahimana, Weymans, Nsabiyumva, Nduwarugira, Nizigiyimana, Amissi, Bigirimana, Amissi, Ntibazonkiza, Abdallah, Bigirimana
Cameroon possible line-up: Onana, Castelletto, Oyongo, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Tolo, Anguissa, Ngamaleu, Kunde, Gouet, Toko Ekambi, Aboubakar
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The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualification match between Burundi and Cameroon will take place at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium and it will kick off at 06:30 pm IST on Thursday.
A selection of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be telecast live on beIN SPORTS.
