Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana believes that Harambee Stars are Cameroon’s greatest rivals in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
After two matches, Harambee Stars leads with four points, followed by the Indomitable Lions, and Onana believes the East Africans will be their greatest challengers.
“Kenya is the only team in our group that is giving us competition, but I hope we make it to the qualifying rounds,” Onana told Sky Sports.
The former Inter Milan goalkeeper was part of the Cameroon squad that played against Zimbabwe in Kampala, Uganda, in a match that ended in a goalless draw. Onana acknowledged that the Southern Africans gave them a tough game.
“The game against Zimbabwe was a little bit hard, but we came out with a point,” he added.
As Onana believes that Kenya remain their biggest rivals, Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat explained why they are not afraid of the five-time AFCON winners.
“Do they (Cameroon) think we are easy? Cameroon should be thinking about how they want to crack us. I’m not afraid of Cameroon; you saw how the boys played before against the Ivory Coast, Russia, and Qatar.
“If we have the boys together, the boys are very united and believe in each other. The boys are unbeaten this year; they won a trophy out of the country for the first time,” Firat said.
Firat’s earlier call
Before the qualifiers began, Firat analysed the group and stated what Kenya needed to do in order to qualify for the continental showpiece.
“Till the last match, everything will be open in this group. Therefore, it is important that we stay mentally ready. In the future, we might have problems.
“I have never been in the Kenyan camp without problems, so for us, it is important to stay mentally strong.
“In this group, it is important not to lose. You will see in this group, there won’t be many matches where teams will finish with wins. All teams are very close to each other and have their own problems. All struggle, especially if they play against teams that sit deep,” Firat said.
Kenya and Cameroon will face off in October.
