Defending champions Cameroon's African Nations Cup quarter-final showdown with old rivals Nigeria on Sunday will be like a final before the final, according to Manchester United ace Eric Djemba Djemba.
"It will be the final before the final," said Djemba Djemba.
"It will be a tough game but if we have confidence and look ahead, we won't have problems."
The former Nantes player, who missed the 2002 Nations Cup final win over Senegal in Mali due to injury, admitted that both teams have struggled to find their real form at Tunisia 2004.
"Not everything has worked very well for both teams," said Djemba Djemba
"But for us things are now coming together. The atmosphere around the team is good and relaxing. We just have to think through our tactics and work."
Indomitable Lions German coach Winfried Schafer was in the stands to spy on the Eagles against Benin in the final Group D match in Sfax on Wednesday while Nigeria assistant coach Bitrus Bewarang did the same when Cameroon took on Egypt in Monastir on Tuesday.
Nigeria skipper Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha said the Super Eagles want to win the championship and as such they have to beat the top teams here if they truly wish to achieve their dreams.
"If you want to be champion, you have to beat the best teams," said Okocha.
"And it will be wrong for Cameroon to think that this will be an easy game."
The Eagles are leaving nothing to chance ahead of Sunday's clash as they insisted on a two-hour bus trip from Sfax back to their base in Monastir late Wednesday night after they had booked their quarter-final ticket by defeating Benin 2-1.
Nigeria and Cameroon have developed a long-running rivalry at this tournament since they first clashed at the 1984 final in Abidjan.
Cameroon beat the Super Eagles 3-1 to win their first African Nations Cup title and have only lost once in four other encounters, which have included two other championship finals, in 1988 and 2000.