Cameroon will be without talismanic striker Samuel Eto'o as they bid to keep their World Cup campaign alive against Croatia in Manaus.
The Indomitable Lions kicked off the competition with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mexico and already face an uphill struggle to get out of Group A.
They meet a Croatian side in a similar position after a Neymar double – one courtesy of a contentious penalty – condemned them to defeat in the tournament curtain-raiser.
Volker Finke's side may be more accustomed than Croatia to the Manaus heat, which saw a number of England players cramp up towards the end of their clash with Italy on Saturday.
However, Eto'o – a veteran of 56 goals in 118 caps – took to Twitter on Monday to confirm he will most likely sit this one out.
He said: "The doctors confirm I will probably not be able to play because of a knee injury that is causing me pain."
But the former Chelsea striker is determined to ensure his influence does not go unnoticed from the touchlines, knowing defeat could see qualification slip out of their grasp already.
"I will always play my role as captain and especially as the big brother to push my young team-mates to victory," said the 33-year-old.
"For three and a half months, I have not had the time to recover. You could see that even in the build-up to the World Cup I hadn't had a lot of practice until the friendly against Germany.
"During the match against Mexico, I tried but after consulting the medical staff we realised that I needed a rest. Even in the ninth minute, I felt pain."
For Croatia the injury news is better, as Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric appears to be on the mend ahead of the Cameroon clash.
The diminutive midfielder sustained a foot injury in Thursday's loss to Brazil but team doctor Boris Nemec believes he is in the running to return.
And manager Niko Kovac is confident that, with the former Tottenham man in his ranks, Croatia can bounce back and stay in the hunt for the last 16.
"What we have showed on the (field) was great,"' Kovac said. "What I can see in players' eyes is their desire to make up for what we have lost in the opener."
However, the build-up away from the training ground has not been so smooth, after a Croatian website published photos of naked players – including Southampton's Dejan Lovren and ex-Spurs defender Vedran Corluka – in a swimming pool at their team base in Praia do Forte.
And in doing so they incurred the wrath of former Bayern Munich forward Ivica Olic, who demanded the media not attempt to detrail Croatia's World Cup campaign.
"We came here to represent Croatia, give our best, we are preparing ourselves for a difficult match against Cameroon and then such things happen," he said.
"Is it normal? Do people really need to watch us without our underpants, do our families have to blush? Did media representatives come here for football or something else."
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