Croatia and Cameroon face off in their second Group A match in what is a certain must win for both sides, as both teams dropped their first matches to Brazil and Mexico, respectively. The teams will take the pitch at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus with Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o out indefinitely with a knee injury, and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric a game-time decision, having picked up a leg injury in their 3-1 defeat in the World Cup opening match.
The Croatian side should feel they did enough against Brazil, at least to take a point, having taken the early lead while playing attractive, attacking football. But a dubious penalty decision and two goalkeeping errors allowed the host country to take all three points. Ivan Rakitic, having recently signed on to join FC Barcelona next year, will be the key playmaker if in fact Modric is ruled out, but the Croatians can also count on the services of Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic, who missed the first match due to suspension. The key for the Croatians, however, will be in goal and in defense; they must do enough to stifle a Cameroonian attack filled with pace and energy.
The Cameroonians came off a poor performance against attack-minded Mexico, losing 1-0 but with two legal Mexican goals dissallowed due to incorrect offside decisions. And now with Eto'o, their capatain and all time leading goalscorer (56 goals in 118 caps) sidelined with an injury, the side will look for much needed inspiration against a solid Croatian side that is looking to for vengance. Vincent Aboubaker is Eto'o's likely replacement, although the majority of the pressure will be on Barcelona midielder Alex Song to create goal-scoring chances. The Cameroonians struggled to maintain possesion against a spritely Mexico side that held Brazil to a nil-all draw yesterday.
Both teams need all three points to have any chance to advance to the knockout rounds. This game's loser will be eliminated from the tournament following the Brazil-Mexico tie, as both those sides are even atop the group with four points apiece. Look for the Croatians to control the midfield and create goal-scoring opportunities, while the Cameroonians will likely sit back and enjoy the quick counter. An attacking matchup is destined in this match, and although the teams from different continents don't often find each other as opponents, this game is sure to deliver some superb excitement.
The game is set to kick off at 6:00PM EST at the Arena AMAZONIA in Manaus. It can be seen on ESPN and in Spanish on Univision. If you want to live stream the match, simply go to WatchESPN here and here for a live stream in Spanish.
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