The Swiss come into the World Cup off the back of a quarter-final run at Euro 2020, while Cameroon finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Match preview

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After four consecutive international tournaments, it will take some getting used to seeing Switzerland without Vladmir Petkovic on the touchline, as former Schaffhausen boss Murat Yakin takes the national side to a World Cup for the first time.

Since taking over in August 2021, the Basler has overseen a remarkably successful World Cup qualifying campaign, remaining unbeaten with 18 points from a possible 24 to top the group ahead of Italy.

A-Team also retained their spot in League A of the Nations League, bouncing back from three consecutive defeats to beat Portugal, Spain and Czech Republic in another impressive run of wins.

Despite a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in their final warm-up game, the Swiss will be confident ahead of a fourth consecutive World Cup, with the likes of Breel Embolo and captain Granit Xhaka heading to Qatar in great form.

Cameroon, on the other hand, have struggled for form since their Africa Cup of Nations run, winning just one of their last five, with that victory coming against 141st-ranked Burundi.

Rigobert Song's men qualified for Qatar in dramatic fashion, as Karl Toko Ekambi broke Algerian hearts to qualify for their eighth World Cup back in March.

The Indomitable Lions are actually the fourth-lowest ranked side in the entire tournament, finding themselves 28 places behind their Swiss opponents, and 22 adrift of anyone else in Group G.

Nonetheless, with attacking talent such as Toko Ekambi and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has 11 goals and three assists in his last 10 games, and having seen Saudi Arabia's shock victory over Argentina on Tuesday, the five-time African champions will head into this crucial World Cup opener with real belief.

Switzerland vs. Cameroon team news

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Unusual for this World Cup, both teams enter this matchup without too many injury concerns.

Switzerland's first-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer suffered an ankle injury in early October but he played the full 90 minutes in the recent friendly defeat to Ghana. Meanwhile, Striker Haris Seferovic, who has proved key in recent years for his national side, has struggled for form at club level this season and may have to settle for a place on the bench in their opener.

Cameroon arrived in Qatar without any notable injuries and have so far remained unscathed during their training sessions. For them, Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting could be key, especially as he's netted 11 goals in 16 competitive appearances for the German giants this campaign.

Switzerland possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Elvedi, Widmer; Xhaka, Freuler; Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas; Embolo

Cameroon possible starting lineup:

Onana; Tolo, Castelletto, Nkoulou, Fai; Toko Ekambi, Hongla, Anguissa, Mbeumo; Aboubakar, Choupo-Moting

Switzerland vs. Cameroon prediction

Given that Switzerland are unbeaten in their previous five opening World Cup fixtures since 2002, which includes a win against Spain and impressive draws against France and Brazil, we expect them to extend that run here.

Cameroon will prove tough opposition with their physicality and attacking power, but the Swiss should have enough experience in their squad to deal with the African side in this Group G opener.

We say: Switzerland 2-1 Cameroon

Switzerland vs. Cameroon key stats

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• This will be the first-ever meeting between Switzerland and Cameroon.

• Switzerland will face African opposition for only the second time at the World Cup. Their previous match saw them beat Togo 2-0 in 2006.

• Cameroon hold the distinction of being the African team who have qualified for the World Cup on the most occasions (8). That said, seven of those eight appearances have ended with an exit from the group stage.

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