The 2022/23 MTN Elite one season will come to an end at the Douala Reunification Stadium this Sunday, with two teams having the chance to clinch the title.
Four teams qualified for this season’s playoffs, but it looks like a two-horse race, going into the last playing day of the playoffs. With Gazelle Football Academy and Bamboutos out of the race, Coton Sport and Canon will have to battle for who wins the crown.
Coton Sport of Garoua tops the log with six points out of two games. The Cotonites might not have had a vintage performance this season, but since Jean Baptiste Besseck took over as coach of the club, the 17-time champions are seven league games unbeaten under the former Canon gaffer. Going into the last day against Canon, the Garoua base side needs only a draw to be crown champions.
Canon of Yaounde lost their opening game to Bamboutos, but bounce back into the title race following a 2-0 win, over Gazelle on Thursday. The Mekok Me Ngounda are in search of their 11th top-flight title since 2002. The three-time CAF Champions League winners have lost just one game in 12 league games under coach Souleymanou Aboubakar and will be hoping to end a 21-year wait for an Elite One title.
Bamboutos of Mbouda started the playoffs on a high – following a 2-1 win over Canon, but showed an inferiority complex in their second game as they lost to Coton Sport on Thursday. The Mangwa Boys will wait for another season as they continue to search for their first Elite One crown in the club’s 53-year existence.
What Are The Possibilities For These Two Clubs to Be Crown Champions?
There are possibilities that Coton Sport or Canon can win the title come the end of tomorrow, but who has the best chance of the two teams?
Playoffs standings after two playing days
Coton Sport of Garoua are not having a great season though, but they have a better chance compared to rivals Canon of Yaounde. With two wins out of two, the Cotonites will need only a draw against Canon to be crown champions for a record 18th time.
For Canon of Yaounde, their chances look slim but not impossible. The boys of coach Soulyemanou Aboubakar will have to win Coton Sport and hopes Gazelle pulls a draw or defeats Bamboutos in the other game – for them to be crown champions.
Bamboutos are technically out of the race. Even if they win against Gazelle and Canon beats Coton Sport, they will not be crown champions because of the head-to-head disadvantage to Coton Sport.
Meanwhile, Yong Sports Academy ended Eding Sports of the Lekie’s seven years in the top flight after a 2-0 win over Anicet Mbarga Foe’s side on Friday.
