Chris Boline
- Cameroon v Brazil
- Friday, December 2, 2022, 14:00 ET
- At the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Brazil is already through to the knockout stage but is an overwhelming favorite to make it three wins from three against Cameroon.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks it is no surprise to see that Brazil is the huge favorite with World Cup bettors going into this game. The five-time World Cup winner is -400 with most bookmakers, while Cameroon is as big as +1100 in some places, and the draw is priced around +535.
| Cameroon v Brazil |  |  |  |
| Cameroon | +1100 | +1050 | +1000 |
| Draw | +540 | +520 | +525 |
| Brazil | -380 | -400 | -400 |
World Cup Group G Betting Briefing
The first three games of World Cup Group G went to form, but the formbook did not predict what would happen in Game Four when Cameroon and Serbia were involved in a thriller that ended in a 3-3 draw; a result that didn’t help either side in its race to reach the Round of 16.
For Cameroon, the draw was particularly disappointing as it now has to face the toughest challenge in the Group, taking on Brazil with only a win being good enough.
The World Cup favorites have had to work a little for its two wins, taking time to grind down stubborn opponents, but the array of attacking talent in the Brazilian squad is almost overpowering and far too much for even experienced teams like Serbia and Switzerland.
Looking ahead to the Round of 16, Brazil is likely to avoid Portugal and will face up against Ghana, South Korea or Uruguay, but the Brazilian players will be keen to keep the team’s good form running and will want to end the Group phase with another win. For Cameroon, on the other hand, the task is simple: win and hope that Serbia beats Switzerland.
Cameroon Leaving it Late
One of Africa’s most successful World Cup nations, Cameroon came into this tournament with limited expectations facing what was always going to be a tough Group.
Facing Brazil in its final game, it was vital for Cameroon to get at least one win from the two European opponents, but a narrow loss to Switzerland was followed by that crazy game against Serbia, in which Cameroon had it won, then lost, then just fell short in a comeback run.
The result is that Cameroon has left it as late as possible to secure its Round of 16 progression and is going to have to do it the hard way, by beating Brazil. Even that may not be enough, depending on the other game in the Group, but the Cameroon players cannot worry about events outside their control, as they will have enough to cope with against the rampant Brazilians.
How to engineer a win against this opponent is the headache that Cameroon head coach Rigobert Song must deal with, but it’s a tough puzzle to solve.
Brazil Must Avoid Complacency
As Brazil aims for a sixth World Cup title, and the nation’s first since 2002, the main threat to its dominance could be complacency. But while a squad that includes Neymar, Vinicius Jr, Raphino, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Antony and Rodrygo will never be short of goals or chances, this Brazilian team is also solid in defense, and full of experience.
At the 2018 World Cup, Brazil was less secure at the back and over-reliant on Neymar for creativity, but this time round, the team is significantly better. Top of the shots-on-target rankings already, despite playing two relatively tough opponents in Switzerland and Serbia, Brazil is looking ominous.
A point in this game would be enough to avoid Portugal in the Round of 16, and Brazil will be confident of beating any of the other three potential opponents: Ghana, South Korea or Uruguay, although Brazil head coach Tite may prefer to avoid Brazil’s South American neighbors in the next round.
World Cup Group G Match Betting
In attempting to navigate his team through this tough challenge, coach Song has very limited options. The standard approach in these circumstances would be to play on the defense, hope to frustrate Brazil and then maybe take an opportunity to hit on the counter.
That would be Plan A, at least. Plan B would involve attempting to push Brazil back and to score as many as possible. Given how fragile Cameroon’s defense looked against Serbia, that approach could lead to disaster, so Plan A is likely to be the way that Cameroon plays this.
The problem is that if neither Switzerland nor Serbia could keep Brazil out, what hope does the Cameroon defense have? There is little value in a Brazil win in the match betting markets, but Over 3 goals looks a good pick, as a Brazilian goal would require Cameroon to try to force the pace, leading to an even more stretched defense and more opportunities for Brazil.
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