Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen shrugged off the team's poor performances in recent warmup matches and said Wednesday he sees a good chance for the Indomitable Lions to advance out of their group.
``It's a difficult group. The Netherlands is favorite, but after that there are possibilities,'' Le Guen told reporters at Durban's King Shaka airport after Cameroon arrived in South Africa just five days before kicking off its campaign against Japan in Bloemfontein.
Star striker Samuel Eto'o - who is likely the key to Cameroon's success - crossed himself as he walked down steps from a chartered plane. He did not speak to reporters inside the airport before boarding a bus to the team's hotel.
He had threatened to sit out the World Cup after being criticized by former Cameroon great Roger Milla, who said the striker has failed to reproduce his club form with the national team.
Eto'o will play against his Inter Milan teammate Wesley Sneijder when Cameroon plays the Netherlands on June 24 in Cape Town. The pair played together last month as Inter won the Champions League by beating Bayern Munich 2-0.
Cameroon opens its World Cup against Japan on June 14 and takes on Denmark in Pretoria on June 19.
Cameroon stunned the football world in 1990 by beating defending champion Argentina in its opening match and progressing to the quarterfinals, where it was knocked out by England in extra time.
However, it has failed to advance beyond the first round in its three World Cup appearances since 1990 and its warmup campaign has been a flop, with losses to Portugal and Serbia.
Eto'o was sent off in the first half of the 3-1 loss against Portugal and was suspended as Serbia came from behind to win 4-3.
But Le Guen defended his players, saying they are now fit and hungry to do well at the first World Cup in Africa.
``The preparations have given us a lot of hope so I am confident,'' he said. ``This is a team with a lot of potential, we've worked hard to get here.''
A group of Cameroon fans danced, waved flags and blew vuvuzela horns before the team's plane touched down and were confident their team would succeed.
``We didn't come here just to play well,'' supporter Jimmy Kabondgo said. ``We came here to collect.''
