Cameroon vs Gabon Prediction: Gabon to spring a surprise?

Cameroon and Gabon will begin their respective Africa Cup of Nation campaigns on Wednesday night (20:00 GMT, live on 4seven). 

The Indomitable Lions are one of the tournament's most-storied nations, having lifted the trophy five times, with only Egypt (seven) claiming more titles. The Panthers, meanwhile, are hoping to progress beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Read on for my Cameroon vs Gabon predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo is Cameroon's star player and he will be carrying the nation's hopes in Morocco, especially after veteran striker Vincent Aboubakar's omission from the squad.

Andre Onana has also been left out meaning that Devis Epassy will start between the sticks. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui are two other high-profile names that will be absent in Morocco.

As for Gabon, captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is their talisman, but he will miss the opening game after picking up a knock in his final game for Marseille.

The Panthers have a worthy replacement in the ranks however, in Denis Bouanga, who had a fantastic season in the MLS, scoring 26 goals in 34 appearances for Los Angeles FC.

Cameroon vs Gabon Odds

Cameroon are 5/4 favourites for Wednesday's encounter, giving them an implied win probability of 44.4%, with the draw 2/1 - while Gabon are 5/2 to begin their campaign with a win.

With Aubameyang expected to be absent, Mbeumo leads the anytime goalscorer betting at 2/1, and you can back both teams to score at 11/10.

Match Result - Draw @ 2/1

Cameroon enter this tournament under a cloud of chaos, which I think could affect them in their opening game.

FA President Samuel Eto’o fired manager Marc Brys earlier this month and replaced him with David Pagou, and as mentioned earlier in the team news, a few high-profile names were omitted in controversial fashion.

Gabon pose a dangerous threat, scoring 21 goals so far this calendar year across nine games, although they're vulnerable defensively. Cameroon are also unbeaten in their last five Afcon opening matches so I'm going to sit on the fence here and back the draw.

Mario Lemina to score anytime @ 13/2

Galatasaray midfielder Mario Lemina has scored in each of his last two games for Gabon, including a key World Cup qualifier against Nigeria.

The former Southampton man has six international goals to his name, and at 13/2, I think he's certainly worth considering to score anytime on Wednesday night.

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