Elephants out to tee up Group D showdown against Cameroon

by Helder Ribiero

Friday Nov 12, 2021. 13:00

Ivory Coast will be out to maintain their lead atop Group D with victory over already eliminated Mozambique in a CAF second round 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Benin on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 21:00 CAT.

The Elephants hold a narrow one-point lead over Cameroon who they will face in a potential group showdown in Douala next week.

Ivory Coast are unbeaten through four rounds of qualifying matches and defeated the Indomitable Lions 2-1 in September, but that will matter for nothing if they fail to qualify for Qatar 2022.

2022 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS GROUPS

Patrice Beaumelle has assembled a strong squad for the back-to-back qualifiers this month with Eric Bailly, Serge Aurier, Franck Kessie, Nicolas Pepe, Maxwel Cornet and Sebastien Haller all at his disposal but Wilfried Zaha won’t be involved.

According to reports, Zaha is considering his international future and the Crystal Palace winger reportedly asked to be left out of his country’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

“I want soldiers, warriors who even with one knee on the ground will come to the selection. It is a message that I send loud and clear to each player,” Beaumelle said.

The Mambas of Mozambique head to Stade de l’Amitié having accumulated just a single point from their allotted fixtures.

That point came in the reverse fixture, a 0-0 draw, against Ivory Coast in Maputo, back in September.