- Nchout Njoya Ajara has scored 16 goals in 61 caps for Cameroon
- Her absence will leave coach Jean Baptiste Bisseck with Gabrielle Aboudi and Michaela Abam as the main options upfront
- Cameroon is hoping to navigate this tie and the next to reach their 14 AWCON finals
Cameroon could be without Nchout Njoya Ajara on Friday when the Indomitable Lions face the Harambee Starlets of Kenya in the first round of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier, kick442.com can exclusively report.
The Inter Milan striker is struggling to be fit for the first-leg game and the return game on September 26.
Ajara was retained in coach Jean Baptiste Bisseck’s squad of 23 players for the game despite a source at Inter confirming that they didn’t expect her to be invited due to the injury.
Ajara didn’t train with the rest of the Cameroon squad on Monday and is expected to miss the sessions scheduled this Tuesday as she continues her walk back to full fitness.
The squad trained in the moist weather at the impressive Mbappe Leppe stadium on Monday as they continue to acclimatise to the conditions down under and without Ajara.
The likes of Michaely Bihina, Cathy Biya, Naomi Eto, Nga Manga, Tabe Tabe Brenda were pictured in action during training.
The absence of the 30-year-old former Atletico forward could reconfigure coach Bisseck’s front line expected to be led by Onguene.
Onguene and co arrived in the country over the weekend are based in the coastal city of Douala for their first round qualifier game against Kenya.
The team have just less than thee days to prepare for their first game against Kenya on September 22 in Douala, which will mark the start of the Bisseck era.
The upcoming meeting of both nations will be the first since Cameroon beat Kenya 4-0 in Yaoundé and 5-0 in Nairobi to earn an aggregate win in the AWCON qualifier to reach the 2006 tournament.
The Starlets contingent will travel to Douala – Cameroon on Tuesday 19, ahead of Friday’s first-leg clash against the Indomitable Lionesses. The reversed fixture will be played on September 26 at the Nyaro national stadium in Nairobi.
Aggregate winners of the tie will face either Gabon or Botswana in the second round, between November 27 and December 5, 2023.
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