Best case scenario of reaching this year’s African Cup of Nations last sixteen for the first time in their history, the Leone Stars must beat Equatorial Guinea. The kickoff is at 16 hrs at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium.

A game that is expected to be a cracker between the West Africans and counterpart Equatorial Guinea, who ended Algeria’s 35-match unbeaten run on Sunday at the Japoma Stadium through Esteban Fernandez only goal and set up a cracker against Sierra Leone.

The twist in this group will be a win for defending champions Algeria over Ivory Coast at the Japoma stadium and a draw between Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone, which means the Leone Stars will end bottom with three points from three draws.

The two nations will face each other for the sixth time in their history with Sierra Leone having a better head to head advantage. However, Nzalang Nacional has shown character just like Thursday’s opponent.

Sierra Leone is still unbeaten after their impressive display against Algeria, and they showed strong character against the Ivory Coast to rally a 2-2 draw.

The team moved to Limbe in the southwest region of Cameroon ahead of their last group match against Equatorial Guinea in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, the players and the technical team departed the Best Western Plus hotel in Douala at around midday on Monday and have arrived safely in Buea, the capital of the southwest region.

The team is lodged at the Parliamentarian flats hotel, about a 25-minute drive from the Omnisport Stadium in Limbe.

Sierra Leone with two points from two games, while the Ivorians top the group with four points to their name.

However, the Elephants must avoid defeat against defending champions Algeria on Thursday (16:00 GMT).

CAF Limbé stadium

About Limbé stadium: Three tournaments in five years

Perched high up some eight kilometres from the city centre, the 20,000-seat stadium built in 2014 offers a breathtaking view of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It is a pretty and modern enclosure, equipped with an athletics track, a natural grass playing area, access roads adapted for disabled people, state-of-the-art press facilities and two adjoining grounds for training and parking.

Having been the first of the stadiums planned in the Cameroon National Sports Infrastructure Development Program to be built, the Limbé stadium has already hosted several international matches, including official matches of the Indomitable Lions. The stadium hosted the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2016, CHAN at the beginning of 2021, and will now host its third major tournament in less than five years.