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Karma caught up with both oppoents

One of the two favorites for the title will almost definitely get knocked out

All four matches in group D finished as 1-1 draws and all the teams have the exact same number of points ahead of round 3. Only a win will see the teams advance to the next round and in case both matches end as draws, the team with bigger number of goals score will advance to the next stage. 

One of the two favorites for the title will thus definitively get knocked out today, which is kind of rightful since these two teams met in a qualifying game in November to play a goalless draw. Neither team displayed any ambition, Cameroon had already secure spot one, while Ivory Coast needed only a point to end as runner-ups and this is how that game finished:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rk0lzuUkg

Cameroon did a bit better at African Cup of Nations thus far, they were better then both Mali and Guinea but still struggled with the lack of creativity. Their attempts are going either through wingers or from set-pieces, which makes things much easier for opponents' defenses.
Coach Finke will try and put captain Mbie in defense and go with an extra midfielder, either Mandheck or Kom. The talented N'Jie will probably get back on the left side after Finke faced a backlash over ignoring N'Jie.


Finke is faced with the ever growing lack of support and one reporter even asked him if he was planning to step down if they get knocked out. The well-experienced German proved he's in control after the WC failure too.


- The team is doing great, the players are practicing and completing their tasks. We have a good communication and I'm sure well give our best - the coach said. His team will be happy about moving to Malabo, which is only about 30 kilometers from Douala.


Ivory Coast can be very happy about managing to finish the last two games undefeated. They were down to Mali for some 80 minutes Saturday to get saved by the substitute Gradel in the very end. 


Coach Renhard managed to somewhat conceal all the defense shortcoming they had with a defense-oriented approach, but those are not the only problems - midfield is one of them too. Especially given Yaya Toure's form. His awakening is the greatest hope for them to reach quarter finals.


- The game will maybe not be attractive, set-pieces might decide it. It's important that we stay focused and balances. Cameroon are very dangerous if allowed to play. The productive and better-focused team will win - Renard said. He still doens't have winger Gervino to count on and midfielder Tiote is out too, with a suspension. The hero of the last game Gradel will start this game.

Ivory Coast have great potential which can always come through, but there are no indications that's going to happen today. They've been set as favorites based on their old glory and I have to contradict that, even for a smaller bet.
Cameroon is looking good because of their current shape and their head-to-head matches (before the mentioned goalless match they crashed them with 4-1 at home, in their most impressive match they've shown in the last three to four years) and absences (Gervinho, before he was sent off against Guinea, was the best player on the turf), and there's the "home effect" because Malabu will surely have excellent support.
Another historical data: so far they've met seven times in the AFCON, and the Coast never won in 90 minutes, and five times they didn't manage to score a goal.