Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar will miss his team’s opening group game against Guinea at the Africa Cup of Nations, 2023 AFCON , owing to injury, the team’s coaching staff revealed on Saturday.
Aboubakar missed a training session on Friday due to a left thigh injury, but testing found merely a “minor injury,” according to the Cameroon team doctor.
Initially, concerns were raised that the problem could rule the 31-year-old Aboubakar out of the tournament.
Cameroon will face Guinea on Monday, followed by a heavyweight clash against defending champion Senegal on January 19. They play Gambia four days later in their final Group C match.
Aboubakar, who scored the winning goal in the 2017 final against Egypt, has not played since being released from Besiktas’ first-team roster on December 9.
The 2023 AFCON kicks off today, Saturday, with the Ivory Coast set to unleash a thunderous win over Guinnea-Bissau.
The Elephants of Ivory Coast, fueled by home advantage but without their star striker Sebastien Haller, charge into battle against minnows Guinea-Bissau at the newly-built Ebimpe Olympic Stadium.
With two previous titles, the most recent in 2015 under Yaya Toure’s leadership, the Elephants carry a rich history.
This time, pressure from expectations on home turf makes the familiar dance more difficult.
However, the competition promises fierce clashes, featuring heavyweights like Morocco, Salah’s Egypt, and defending champions Senegal, all hungry for their share of glory in Ivory Coast.
