The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have been handed a massive injury boost ahead of their clash with the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Besiktas' Vincent Aboubakar picked up a hamstring injury just before the start of AFCON 2024, and hasn't been able to play for Cameroon in this tournament.
In Aboubakar's absence, the Indomitable Lions managed to secure a spot in the Round of 16 on the last day, after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Gambia.
Cameroon will square off against Nigeria's Super Eagles for a place in the quarter-finals on Saturday January 27, and Rigobert Song will be pleased to have Aboubakar available for selection.
In a post published on Facebook, the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) announced “the return to collective training of Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton Njie, now available for the rest of the competition.”
To be fair, the Indomitable Lions scored five times in three group games. However, their attack hasn't looked as good as it should, and the addition of Aboubakar should improve the team's chances of beating the Super Eagles.
Will Aboubakar start Nigeria vs Cameroon AFCON 2024 clash?
Although Aboubakar has fully recovered from his injury, there may be concerns about his fitness levels, considering the Besiktas forward hasn't played in over two weeks.
It remains to be seen whether Song will include Aboubakar in his starting XI on Saturday. The 47-year-old coach alternated between Karl Toto Ekambi and Frank Magri at CF, with both players scoring one goal apiece.
We would like to note that Aboubakar was the top scorer in the previous edition of this tournament with eight goals.
As a matter of fact, no other player has scored more than five goals in the same AFCON tournament since Benni McCarthy and Hossam Hassan did so in 1998.
