Coach Winifred Schaefer is confident his side can go all the way for a third successive occasion. « We have a wide range of players to pick from. We had a good preparation campaign. We can’t talk about defeat », he said
The Indomitable Lions are likely to be without the services of striker Samuel Eto’o who is still recovering from an ankle injury.
Veteran Patrick Mboma is waiting to step into his shoes.
Goalkeeper Carlos Idriss Kameni has replaced Boukar Alioum as Cameroon’s number one and is likely to start.
Algeria, who won the tournament in 1990, will be look to make amends for their first-round exit in Mali 2002, by getting off to good start in Group C.
Coach Rabah Saadane has a number of professionals in his squad who ply their trade in the French leagues.
Nantes midfielder Fodil Hadjadj, experienced Troyes frontman Nassim Akrour and uncapped left-sided defender Yahia Antar of Bastia are just three and all are certain to feature prominently in the opening game.